Lin Yanshu asked Ye Tiancheng, "What should I call you two? I recall the innkeeper addressing you as 'Mr. Ye' before?"
Ye Tiancheng introduced himself to Lin Yanshu, "My surname is Ye, and my given name is Ye Tiancheng. Beside me is my younger brother, Ye Li."
After introducing himself and the little fox, Lin Yanshu briefly introduced himself as well, saying, "My surname is Lin, and my given name is Yanshu. I am Yanqin's elder brother."
With that, Lin Yanshu changed the subject.
"When I was tracing my sister's whereabouts, I discovered that she was with you two, Mr. Ye. However, you two only appeared by my sister's side after the fire. May I ask how you two gentlemen came to know my sister?"
He did not question the origins of Ye Tiancheng and the little fox.
Ye Tiancheng had nothing to hide. There was no point in concealing such matters. At the very least, Lin Yanshu had managed to find them, and might have already investigated the incident where Lin Yanqin was injured and taken in by the clinic along with them.
Therefore, Ye Tiancheng replied to Lin Yanshu, "We were staying at the same inn as Miss Lin. We had no prior interaction, only a chance encounter. Later, Miss Lin lost something and was very anxious, asking for help to find it."
"That's how we met Miss Lin."
"Afterward, Miss Lin said she had found the item, so there should have been no further contact. However, on the day of the fire, my brother and I suddenly heard unusual noises from the inn and also heard cries for help. Upon careful identification, we realized the cries were coming from Miss Lin's room and were indeed her calls for help."
"Thinking that no matter what, we couldn't stand by and do nothing, we rushed over immediately. After much effort, we managed to break into Miss Lin's room. Miss Lin had already been stabbed and collapsed by the bed, and the assailant was escaping through the window. We were too late to pursue."
"Later, the inn caught fire. We couldn't do anything about it, and it was not right to abandon Miss Lin. Miss Lin had already lost consciousness at that time. If we had left her, she would surely have died. So, we took Miss Lin with us. Later, Miss Lin's injuries were severe, and it was inconvenient for her to travel alone. Therefore, we brought her with us and settled her here."
Upon hearing Ye Tiancheng's words, Lin Yanshu's first reaction was to press Ye Tiancheng for more information.
He asked Ye Tiancheng, "Mr. Ye, did you get a clear look at the scoundrel's appearance?!"
Ye Tiancheng shook his head helplessly.
He replied to Lin Yanshu, "At that time, Miss Lin's room was locked from the inside, making it difficult to enter from the outside. Miss Lin's cries for help were urgent. In our haste, my brother and I could only force the door open to try and get in, but it took quite some effort."
"By the time we finally got in, Miss Lin had already been harmed, and the scoundrel was already at the window, climbing out."
"Given Miss Lin's worsening condition, and the fact that we couldn't catch the scoundrel, we didn't get a clear look at the scoundrel's true face. We only saw a back."
Lin Yanshu's expression was grim, and his brows were tightly furrowed.
Seeing his demeanor, Ye Tiancheng simply described the person they had seen to Lin Yanshu, providing information that could be inferred from their back, such as height, build, hairstyle, and clothing.
Although only a little information was obtained, Lin Yanshu still thanked Ye Tiancheng solemnly.
Ye Tiancheng waved his hand, indicating it was unnecessary.
Lin Yanshu then said, "Thanks to you two gentlemen for saving my sister's life. When I was investigating my sister's whereabouts, I found traces of you at a clinic. I learned that my sister's injuries were severe and life-threatening. If you two gentlemen had not intervened in time, I might not have seen my sister again."
Ye Tiancheng and the little fox thought that based on the information they had gathered after arriving in Xiaojing City, Lin Yanshu had indeed not seen his sister's face.
Given Lin Yanshu's arrival time, Lin Yanqin would have likely already met her demise, been consumed by a fire, and completely reduced to ashes. Even if Lin Yanshu had come in person, he might not have been able to identify which charred corpse was his sister.
However, these were thoughts that Ye Tiancheng and the little fox could only keep to themselves; they could not voice them.
Ye Tiancheng and the little fox both told Lin Yanshu that it was merely what they should have done. Since they knew, they had no reason to watch someone else get harmed. It didn't matter who it was; they would have made the same choice at that time.
But Lin Yanshu believed that it was their choice to do good deeds, and they did not seek thanks from others. However, those who were helped should also express their gratitude. The kindness of saving a life was not just a matter of words.
Ye Tiancheng and the little fox politely declined a few times, but then felt that pushing back and forth was meaningless. They decided not to argue with Lin Yanshu any further.
Lin Yanshu asked a few more questions about his sister's physical condition.
Ye Tiancheng told Lin Yanshu that because Lin Yanqin had been rescued in time and had subsequently passed the critical stage, her wounds had not become inflamed or caused a high fever. Therefore, she had passed the dangerous period, and there were no major issues. She only needed to recover slowly and regain her strength.
Upon learning that his sister was not in serious condition, Lin Yanshu breathed a sigh of relief.
Afterward, Lin Yanshu looked at Lin Yanqin and asked her a few questions. However, Lin Yanqin remained unwilling to speak, and Lin Yanshu could do nothing about it.
Seeing this, Ye Tiancheng and the little fox felt that in this situation, the siblings might need to speak privately about certain matters, and their presence as outsiders was quite disruptive.
Therefore, Ye Tiancheng and the little fox took their leave, saying they were going back to their room to rest.
Lin Yanshu agreed and personally escorted Ye Tiancheng and his companion out. He then instructed his subordinates, who were gathered at the door keeping watch, to have only a few remain at the entrance while the others withdrew. He also told them to remove those who were guarding outside the window.
Ye Tiancheng and the little fox did not linger. They said their goodbyes and left.
After moving away from Lin Yanqin's room, the little fox nervously twitched his fingers and then whispered to Ye Tiancheng.
The little fox said to Ye Tiancheng, "I've placed the item. If it wasn't for the lack of alternatives... I always feel strange leaving something in someone else's room, especially a girl's room, and eavesdropping on their conversation with her brother."
Ye Tiancheng replied, "We didn't have any other choice. Would they have told us certain things voluntarily? We had to resort to some special measures."
"Besides, we're not doing anything wrong. It's a special situation, so we're dealing with it specially."
The little fox asked Ye Tiancheng, "What do we do next? Should we go back and listen to what the siblings say?"
Ye Tiancheng thought for a moment and then said, "Let's go wander around the area where the inn used to be and check the situation. Now that Lin Yanshu has found his sister, Lin Yanqin, and knows where they are staying, I don't think they will search there randomly anymore."
The little fox said nervously, "What if they do?"
"Also, we can't just go and leave a letter there in broad daylight. It might cause some trouble during the day."
Ye Tiancheng said, "As long as we conceal our tracks well, it will be the same."
Since Ye Tiancheng had already thought of this and made up his mind, the little fox could not object. Thus, he agreed with Ye Tiancheng's plan. The two of them first openly left the inn, then found a hidden place, and in an uninhabited area, put on talismans to conceal their tracks.
Then, the two of them swaggered directly onto the street, heading towards the ruins of the inn.
To be safe, they also wore many items to ensure that nothing, whether human or otherwise, could see them.
Otherwise, if they missed even one thing, it would be like openly walking into that haunted ruin in broad daylight.
Neither Ye Tiancheng nor the little fox would do anything so foolish.
Upon reaching the ruins, the two were already familiar with the area and quickly found Lin Yanqin's former room. It was still daytime, so finding the location was even easier than at night. They found it immediately and could go directly there without needing to confirm if the location was correct.
There were no other signs of human activity within the ruins.
Clearly, the rumors of hauntings were so powerful that most people avoided the area. Even the brave ones would not venture here during the day, and certainly not at night.
At the very least, in the dead of night, no one in the vicinity would dare to venture out recently.
Ye Tiancheng and the little fox arrived at their usual spot and placed the letter inside. To their astonishment, the letter vanished before their very eyes.
The two of them looked at each other in disbelief.
The little fox said uncertainly, "Such a coincidence? Could it be that Nie Chongyang and his group happened to come to check the letter at the same time and ran into us?"
This was not impossible.
Ye Tiancheng said, "It's possible."
The little fox ran a hand through his hair and couldn't help but say, "Seeing it with my own eyes, it still feels quite magical. Perhaps in another timeline, the spot where we are squatting now is also where Nie Chongyang and his group are squatting, and our positions overlap."
"Since they received the letter, does that mean we can just go back?"
Ye Tiancheng thought for a moment, then shook his head.
The little fox asked in confusion, "Why?"
Ye Tiancheng said to the little fox, "Let's wait here and see. It doesn't hinder anything, and we're not afraid of being seen. Even if someone comes in, they won't see us. They'll see the traces of things being rummaged through, but they won't see the letter."
"So, those people will only assume that Lin Yanshu's people were searching here a day or two ago, rummaging through things and leaving these traces. They won't suspect anything."
"Since Nie Chongyang and his group are very likely to have come to find the letter just now and received our letter, if we wait here, perhaps we can receive their reply."
The little fox considered it and thought it was a good idea, so he nodded.
He said, "Then let's wait."
But standing and waiting was quite tiring.
Even if Nie Chongyang and his group received the letter and reviewed its contents, discussed clues, and wrote a reply, it would take some time. They might have to wait for a while.
Ye Tiancheng felt that waiting for at least an hour or two would be acceptable.
If they didn't get a reply today, they would come again tomorrow. This time, Nie Chongyang and his group received the letter faster, so in theory, their reply should also be faster.
The little fox thought for a moment, then took out a small stool and other items from his storage space. He then covered them all with talismans and presented them to Ye Tiancheng like a treasure.
"Brother, let's sit and wait. Standing is too tiring."
Ye Tiancheng found it a bit amusing as he took the stool, which was covered with what looked like a multitude of talismans. From its appearance alone, it was truly peculiar.