Even if Qiao Xiuying was left with just a dried corpse, Ji Lingruo was determined to help this little sister find her sibling.
Ji Lingruo didn’t mind the little girl’s somewhat messy hair and reached out to ruffle Qiao Xiuyun’s head:
"Coming here from Black Rock City shouldn’t cost that much. Why didn’t you buy something to eat or wear?"
Qiao Xiuyun didn’t expect such a glamorous Fairy to show such affection towards her, a little village girl. Her face turned rosy red.
She reached out and made a mark on the notice, precisely on the words "substantial reward."
"I’m afraid to spend money carelessly because I’m worried others won’t value the reward I can offer. If the reward is higher, those helping me find my sister might put more effort into it."
Ji Lingruo’s hand, which was patting her head, paused for a moment; the girl’s determination to find her sister was beyond her imagination.
"How long have you been looking for your sister here?"
"Today is the third day."
"Has anyone provided any clues?" Ji Lingruo tentatively asked.
However, she glanced at the hard-to-decipher scrawl on the paper and then at the ragged Qiao Xiuyun, recognizing that it would be nearly impossible for a girl like her to find someone deliberately hidden in such a large city.
It could even be said that her remaining unharmed and holding a sign here was already a small blessing in a situation of great misfortune.
"Yes." Qiao Xiuyun nodded unexpectedly, "A kind person told me that my sister’s admirer’s object is the eldest young master of Mo Ye City’s City Lord’s mansion. So I think, maybe he’s the one who bought her freedom?"
"You..."
Ji Lingruo looked at Qiao Xiuyun, surprised. She thought the girl didn’t know that Qiao Xiuying’s so-called "female work" was actually being a courtesan.
Turns out this eleven or twelve-year-old girl understood everything, yet it didn’t affect her admiration for her sister.
"Did you go to the City Lord’s mansion?"
On hearing this, Qiao Xiuyun looked dejected and said with a trace of frustration:
"I went to the City Lord’s mansion and disclosed my identity, but those guards seemed to disdain me, and they always chased me away. They said if I wanted to find a courtesan, I should go to the brothel and not create trouble at the mansion. They warned me that if I tried again, they would punish me for disrespecting the City Lord’s mansion..."
By the end of her words, Qiao Xiuyun had begun to sob, the cold wind cutting sharply as she repeatedly sniffled her runny nose.
"My sister is not a courtesan, sob... she’s my sister, and a very good person, sob..."
The girl could no longer hold back the grievances in her heart, complaining amidst her sobs.
Ji Lingruo bit her thin lip softly, feeling compassion.
The affair between the courtesan Qiao Xiuying and the City Lord’s son was undoubtedly a shameful blemish for the City Lord’s mansion. Even if Qiao Xiuying’s corpse really was hidden within the mansion, this little girl who traveled a thousand miles to find her sister couldn’t overcome the barrier of social status.
"Little sister, stop crying. I’ll help you find your sister."
Ji Lingruo squatted down and handed over a green handkerchief.
"Really?"
Qiao Xiuyun, still sobbing, opened her misty eyes and looked towards this kind Fairy sister.
Behind Ji Lingruo stood another Fairy in a purple dress, her face veiled in gauze, and a handsome young man in black brocade robes.
They were none other than Zi Yiyi and You Su, who had come due to the sound of crying.
She’d never seen such beautiful people, and suddenly three of them appeared at once.
Unconsciously, she was mesmerized, stopping her tears while staring blankly.
Ji Lingruo smiled warmly:
"Really."
...
Before heading to the City Lord’s mansion, Ji Lingruo first took Qiao Xiuyun back to the inn where they had stayed the previous night.
She had the girl take a hot bath and prepared a set of thick, new clothes for her.
After washing up, the girl looked much cleaner and fresher. Except for her still rough skin, her facial features already hinted at a budding beauty.
She thanked Ji Lingruo repeatedly, and Ji Lingruo merely returned a gentle smile, not daring to accept Qiao Xiuyun’s gratitude with contentment.
Although she had resolved to help the girl find her sister, she wasn’t sure if finding a dried corpse would ultimately be a good or bad thing for the girl.
However, setting aside the purpose of helping the girl find her sister, Qiao Xiuyun’s arrival was indeed a timely opportunity.
For further investigation into the ghost mite affair, finding Qiao Xiuying’s body is necessary. The most likely place her corpse would be hidden is the City Lord’s mansion in Mo Ye City.
You Su was having trouble figuring out what kind of identity he could use to approach the City Lord’s mansion, especially without revealing himself as a member of the Exorcism Bureau, which was extremely difficult.
Now, with Qiao Xiuyun’s story, they had a legitimate excuse.
Qiao Xiuyun followed behind Ji Lingruo step by step toward the city center.
"Yiyi, does Mr. Xiang have any background?" You Su suddenly asked.
"Mo Ye City is a city under the jurisdiction of the Spirit Treasure Sect of Divine Mountain. The City Lord of Mo Ye City is named Xiang Boghu, a member of the Spirit Treasure Sect. He’s already over a hundred years old, with cultivation at the Lower Feather Transformation Realm. Even on Divine Mountain, such cultivation holds significant competitive value. Yet, he chose to be the City Lord of Mo Ye City because his family, the Xiang Family, has been the City’s Lords of Mo Ye City for generations. The surname Xiang in Mo Ye City has almost become a symbol of status. So concerning the affair between Mr. Xiang’s son, Xiang Wenting, and a courtesan, Mr. Xiang would strongly suppress the news."
Zi Yiyi held nothing back when sharing what she knew. Without her, You Su alone would have found it difficult to uncover such secrets during his investigation.
"And what about his son?"