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墨書 Inktalez
"You already...?"
Zhang Zonghan and Hua Zhong were quite puzzled, as the guards at the gate of Luoyang City only saw Xun You leaving the city, but had not seen him return.
At this moment, Xun You's gaze was darting around, appearing very flustered.
"Is there... someone else living here?"
Xun You seemed unwilling to answer why he had reappeared in Luoyang City and abruptly changed the subject.
"Yes, you have been gone for many days. This place has been abandoned for a long time, and the people in the city urgently need medical care, so we just used this place directly. Is there a problem with that?"
"No, no, there's no problem..." Xun You quickly shook his hand to deny it, but his eyes clearly betrayed him.
"Really nothing at all?"
"Really nothing."
Seeing that Xun You insisted on saying this, Zhang Zonghan had no choice but to let it go.
"If there’s nothing else, then I shall take my leave..." After saying this, he hurriedly tried to slip past Zhang Zonghan and Ms. Qin to exit. When he reached Ms. Qin's side, Xun You stopped. At that moment, the moonlight illuminated Ms. Qin's face. Xun You furrowed his brows and stared at Ms. Qin for a long time.
Zhang Zonghan, confused, then asked:
"Why are you looking at her like that?"
"Oh, it's nothing, nothing at all. I was just surprised to find Ms. Qin so beautiful that I momentarily lost my senses."
Xun You appeared quite awkward and hurriedly explained.
"I see..." Although Zhang Zonghan felt that Xun You did not mean it that way, he couldn't say much.
Zhang Zonghan and his companions watched Xun You's hurried departure without looking back.
"He is..."
"Yes, he is the previous owner of the medical clinic we mentioned earlier, the only doctor in Luoyang City, Xun You."
"Little girl doesn't understand, with Luoyang City being so large, why is he the only one practicing medicine? Can he handle it all?"
Hearing Ms. Qin's question, Zhang Zonghan sighed heavily and shook his head.
"When the atmosphere in the city was good before, there were quite a few doctors. Now, as society declines, many ordinary people struggle to make a living and cannot afford medical expenses. Many suffer from minor ailments that turn into serious illnesses, and when they become severe, they just wait to die at home. After death, they are sent directly to the mass grave in the west of the city. Only wealthy families can still afford to seek treatment. But ever since Zhang Rang and others took control of the government, even the materials needed to keep the clinic running are no longer supplied. Over time, this is the only clinic that remains open."
"So that's how it is..." Ms. Qin nodded, her expression quite complex.
"The clinic has been operating for some time now. Although his actions always seem suspicious, if he hadn't lowered treatment costs or occasionally waived fees for those who truly couldn't afford them, the people's sentiment in Luoyang City would have deteriorated even faster."
"Then he... should be considered a good person."
"His sudden reappearance raises questions about his intentions; it's really hard to figure out. Just like when he left so abruptly before."
Zhang Zonghan appeared quite troubled. He vaguely felt that being able to keep the clinic running for so long in such an environment might lend some truth to the rumors that Xun You was part of a demonic clan.
Zhang Zonghan and his group entered the medical clinic but did not find anything unusual; Xun You should not have come in.
"It feels like something is off..." Zhang Zonghan thought something was missing.
"Master Zhang, the Boli that was here before..."
After Ms. Qin's reminder, Zhang Zonghan remembered that usually, Boli would rush over to greet people, but now he couldn't even sense its presence.
Strange, where did Boli go? Zhang Zonghan and his group searched around the clinic but could not find it.
However, when Xun You left earlier, he did not see him take Boli with him...
Could it be that Boli left on its own? Zhang Zonghan cast a questioning glance at Ms. Qin.
"Boli is a social animal and wouldn't leave the group alone," Ms. Qin shook her head.
This left Zhang Zonghan puzzled, but thinking about it here would yield no answers, so he decided to let it go.
After saying goodbye to Ms. Qin, Zhang Zonghan and Hua Zhong headed home.
"Why do you think Xun You appeared again? He doesn't seem like he wants to come back to run the clinic," Zhang Zonghan mused while stroking his chin.
"Actually, I found Xun You's actions earlier very strange; it seemed like he was hiding something," Hua Zhong whispered.
"Also, Boli's original owner is Xun You, right? Why didn't he take Boli with him when he left? And this Boli..."
Before Zhang Zonghan could finish speaking, several sharp screams came from a nearby house.
"Catch the thief! There's a thief! Someone is stealing things!"
Zhang Zonghan and Hua Zhong hurried over upon hearing the commotion.
As they reached the door, they bumped into an elderly man holding a lantern. He appeared quite aged, with a head full of white hair, his brows furrowed, looking both anxious and angry.
"Is there a thief in the house? Have you caught him?" Zhang Zonghan asked.
"Oh, it's Master Zhang! No, Master Zhang! We just discovered that something has been stolen," the man said, wiping the sweat from his brow.
Zhang Zonghan and Hua Zhong stayed at that household for quite some time and learned that several Jade Ornaments had been stolen from a cabinet. Although not very valuable, they were cherished items by the owner.
Zhang Zonghan promised to send someone to investigate the matter the next morning.
The next day, having overexerted himself in recent days and gone to bed too late the night before, Zhang Zonghan woke up to find it was already close to noon. He quickly got dressed, wondering why Hua Zhong hadn’t come to wake him. As he walked toward the hall, he heard a noisy chatter.
Why is it so loud? Zhang Zonghan thought as he entered the hall. The room was packed with people, all looking very anxious, some even crying bitterly.
A woman saw Zhang Zonghan enter and staggered toward him. Before she could reach him, her legs gave way and she collapsed on the ground. The tear stains on her cheeks were clearly visible, indicating she had been crying hard before. Zhang Zonghan hurriedly helped her up.
"What happened? Don't be sad; is there anything I can help with?"
"Master Zhang! My late mother's Jade Bracelet that was left to me... it was stolen by some flying thief yesterday!"
"What? Something was stolen?"
Zhang Zonghan was taken aback, recalling the elderly man he encountered yesterday—
"Master Zhang! You have to take charge for us! This thief is simply too rampant!"
The elderly man who had his home robbed last night was also present. He approached Zhang Zonghan and tightly grasped his hand.
"Master Zhang, everyone here has had something stolen by the thief!"
The old man's words left Zhang Zonghan stunned. To steal from so many homes in one night, this thief was certainly not ordinary. Could it be another master thief?
Just as Zhang Zonghan was about to respond, a burly man standing beside him shouted loudly:
"No! You all have it wrong! The thief isn't human; it's a demon! It must be Dong the Traitor and his gang!"
Hearing this, Zhang Zonghan felt puzzled.
"May I ask why you say that?"
"Because, you see, what was stolen from our home was a jade Buddha statue. Although it wasn't very large, it had some weight. Just last night, I passed by that jade statue on my way to the restroom. I had only taken five steps away when I heard a sharp and short sound. When I turned around, the jade statue was gone! Master Zhang, don't you think only a demon could accomplish that?"
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