Chapter 411 - Baffled

"Hey! You!" Jiu Ye called when he saw the teenager he talked with yesterday, the one who was waiting for his drunkard father to fetch him home. 

Huo Ling was following behind Jiu Ye and watched the other ran after the teenager. 

The teenager turned and recognized Jiu Ye. He looked at Jiu Ye up and down and noticed Jiu Ye's clothes. "Young master…?" he muttered and looked at Jiu Ye, looking inquisitive. 

"Oh. Just call me 'Ah Jiu'!" Jiu Ye spoke and shyly smiled at the teenager. Seeing the teenager nodded in agreement, his face brightened. "Have you just bought some ingredients for your lunch?" he asked when he saw the basket the teenager is carrying. 

Although the teenager thinks that Jiu Ye is also a teenager like him, but that's just Jiu Ye's appearance. The teenager could feel Jiu Ye isn't simple.. "Yes." He answered. 

"Oh, right. I still haven't asked for your name…" Jiu Ye muttered and scratched his cheek. He realized he's been impolite. 

"It's 'Ah Su'." The teenager answered. 

"Well, Ah Su, I have something to ask…" Jiu Ye said. "Oh. Can we talk in your house? It's inappropriate to talk in the middle of the street…" he grimaced and looked awkward. 

"Okay." Ah Su answered. 

Huo Ling silently followed behind them, his figure concealed. He noticed that Jiu Ye is straightforward when there are only a few people around, much less only one person, like right now. Jiu Ye thinks he isn't around since he made up an excuse that he will buy drinks. He did buy drinks, but when he returned, Jiu Ye didn't notice him. Just when he was about to call him, he saw Jiu Ye noticed someone. Then, the next second, Jiu Ye called the person. 

He remained concealing his figure for the other people to not see him, but he still chose to hide since Jiu Ye could see him. 

"Please bear with it if our house is dirty." Ah Su spoke as they entered. 

The house is simple and tidy, and Huo Ling and Jiu Ye didn't see anything that can be said to be dirty. 

"It's fine. It's not dirty." Jiu Ye sincerely said and smiled to reassure him. 

Ah Su nodded and brought the ingredients to the kitchen. 

Jiu Ye looked around and saw that Ah Su's father isn't around. "Where's your father?" he asked. 

"Drinking." Ah Su answered. 

"So early?!" Jiu Ye exclaimed in shock. 

"There's no early or late for a drunkard." Ah Su indifferently said. 

Jiu Ye's lip twitched, despising Ah Su's father while pitying the child. "Ah. But, at night…" he muttered.

Ah Su's about to slice the radish when he stopped. "Right. I forgot to tell you that there is an early curfew the officials implemented. Sorry." He apologized, though he doesn't sound like he's apologizing. He resumed slicing the vegetable.

But, the oblivious Jiu Ye took it seriously. "It's fine, it's fine." He said and waved his hand. "When did the early curfew start?" he asked. 

"Three days ago." Ah Su answered. 

"'three days ago'…" Jiu Ye muttered, trying to recall what significant event that happened three days ago. "Ah. That was the time second young master Pei disappeared!" he exclaimed. 

Ah Su nodded. 

"They ordered an early curfew because he went missing?" Jiu Ye asked. "He's that important? The Pei family requested the early curfew?" he looked at Ah Su. 

"No." Ah Su answered. To which question of Jiu Ye, it's unknown. 

"Then…" Jiu Ye muttered, feeling puzzled to Ah Su's vague answer. 

"There has been other people that went missing." Ah Su spoke. 

Jiu Ye was shocked. "What?!" he exclaimed. "But, we only saw…" Pei Tinghe's missing notice. "Was it because of the Pei family? Or that these people have been missing for a long time?" he asked. 

"Yes." Ah Su answered. To which question of Jiu Ye… maybe both. 

Jiu Ye fell silent. Ah Su resumed cooking. Only the sound of the chopping can be heard in the background, together with something boiling. 

After a while, maybe Jiu Ye has finished pondering, he spoke. "Actually, I want to ask you about…" he spoke and turned, just in time to see Ah Su walking out of the kitchen holding a knife. 

"What do you want to ask?" Ah Su asked as he walked past Jiu Ye and picked up a rag before he returned to the kitchen. 

"… about your mother." Jiu Ye answered. "Where is she?" he asked. 

Noon. 

"… so, there's really something wrong with the people here?" Yi Bing asked as he looked at Huo Ling's, Shi Jiu's and Jiu Ye's faces. 

Jiu Ye's face fell, looking very disheartened. "I initially thought Ah Su is a kind kid. I didn't know…" he deeply sighed. 

Yi Bing saw Jiu Ye's unwilling to answer, so he turned to Huo Ling. 

Huo Ling frowned when he remembered what happened earlier. "Ah Su wanted to kill Jiu Ye." He said. 

Shi Jiu's expression changed. He sharply turned to Huo Ling. 

"Jiu Ye's query earlier should just been treated as a mere curiosity, since Jiu Ye is a 'kid', and that he just moved into a big city with his 'family'." Huo Ling said. "But, earlier… Ah Su really wanted to stab him when Jiu Ye was going to ask about Pei Tinghe." He suddenly paused. "No. I think he was irked because Jiu Ye kept asking about the Pei family, Pei Tinghe is included. He must have a beef with the Pei family." He guessed. 

"No, no! You're focusing on the wrong point here!" Shi Jiu said. "Who would kill someone just because they were irked?!" he asked. 

"You're the one who's focusing on the wrong point here." Yi Bing told Shi Jiu. "He's a kid. Why would he have bloodlust?" he asked. 

"Oh." Shi Jiu muttered, finally realizing it. 

Huo Ling turned to Yi Bing, his gaze inquisitive. 

"Jiu Ye." Yi Bing called. 

"Yes?" Jiu Ye weakly answered. He was given a scare earlier when Ah Su came out with a knife. If not for Huo Ling secretly holding him back earlier while standing behind him, invisible, he would've screamed from fright! 

"You said that before, you thought this Ah Su is a good kid." Yi Bing spoke. "Why?" he asked. 

Jiu Ye's face twisted after he was hit in his sore spot. "I won't believe in others again…" he muttered. Nonetheless, he still answered Yi Bing's question. "I met him yesterday when my ge is drinking with his dad and the others. He said he is fetching his dad. He asked me some questions, and when he heard that we're staying near a river, he looked scared. I then asked him about Pei Tinghe being missing, and he answered my questions. So, I think he's a good kid." He explained. "But, today…" he pouted, feeling aggrieved. 

Yi Bing didn't comment and turned to Shi Jiu. "How about your report?" he asked. 

"Oh, right." Shi Jiu muttered and frowned. "As what you expected, another person answered differently." He said. "He said that the Pei family is no good. That they are just bunch of thieves and whores." He said, feeling disgusted. 

"Hmm." Yi Bing muttered, contemplating. 

Huo Ling looked at him, waiting for his words. Yi Bing didn't disappoint him. 

Yi Bing raised his head, glanced outside the window before he turned to them. "Then, go back and observe them." He said. 

"… huh?" they muttered as they blankly looked at him. 

Yi Bing didn't elaborate and rose from his seat, patting off the nonexistent dust on his pants. "When you return, I'll tell you what I've found." He said before he walked towards the door and left. 

"… what does he mean?" Shi Jiu asked, feeling confused. Meanwhile, Jiu Ye was trembling in fear after hearing that he has to return to Ah Su's house.

Huo Ling watched as Yi Bing's figure disappeared. "Let's follow his order for now." He finally spoke. Shi Jiu looked at him, but he didn't speak. "Jiu Ye." He called. 

Shi Jiu stared at Huo Ling for a while before he sighed in defeat. He turned to his younger brother whose face is paler than usual. "Be careful." He said and patted Jiu Ye's shoulder before he left. He has two people to find and observe. 

Jiu Ye's face fell when he heard what his elder brother said. He felt like the words are a death sentence for him, although he's already dead. "Let's go…" he told Huo Ling as he walked, his shoulder sinking. 

Huo Ling looked at Jiu Yue's shrunken back and he smiled. Earlier, he apologized to Jiu Ye, which, fortunately, gave Jiu Ye a comfort from what happened in Ah Su's house. "Don't worry. I'm here." He told Jiu Ye, and then they left to return to Ah Su's house. 

But, since Yi Bing said 'observe', then there's no need for them to show their presence to their targets. They turned themselves invisible, and then began tracking their targets in this baffling ancient town.