On her wedding night, she went into exile with her pharmacy arsenal

Chapter 2289 Inquiry at the Post Station

Yan Ruyu focused her mind and calmed her spirit. A glint seemed to flash deep in her eyes as she switched her gaze and carefully examined the condition of the corpse.

There were no obvious wounds on the limbs and torso. There was a deep cut on the neck and throat of the corpse, with the bone visible. The cut was clean and the edges were sharp, clearly a fatal blow from a single sword strike.

She then examined two more corpses, her expression growing increasingly grave.

She turned to Huo Changhe and said, "The cause of death for the three of them was the same: a deep cut to the throat by a sword, a fatal blow, with no other wounds on their bodies."

Silver Ingot stepped forward and, by the light of the torch, carefully examined the incision at the throat of the corpse.

He couldn't help but gasp and whisper, "What amazing swordsmanship!"

His strike was swift, precise, and powerful, a single blow to the throat leaving no trace—a feat no ordinary martial artist could accomplish.

Huo Changhe bent down and stepped forward, using the firelight to examine the cut on the corpse's throat. His fingertips hovered beside the wound, his gaze sweeping over the neat blade marks, his eyes as deep as a cold pool.

He had seen countless weapons, but the marks left by this blade were definitely not those of an ordinary blacksmith. The strength of the spine and the curvature of the blade were both unique.

“This is no ordinary sword. Anyone who can wield such swordsmanship is a top-tier assassin.” He straightened up, his voice cold and hard, filled with suppressed anger. “Such a person is not hard to find.”

He turned to Yin Ding and said in a deep voice, "Take the bodies of the three brothers back to the palace and make proper arrangements for them."

"Immediately send a message to Jin Ting, instructing him to thoroughly investigate the assassin organizations in and around Youcheng. Anyone whose methods match the description should be killed without mercy to avenge our brothers."

"Your subordinate obeys!" Yin Ding bowed and accepted the order.

Yan Ruyu's gaze passed over the woods, and not far away was the post station in the night, with a faint light still shining.

"This place is so close to the post station, and they were killed in the woods behind the post station. Maybe the people at the post station saw them or noticed something. Go and ask them; perhaps we can find some clues."

Huo Changhe nodded, suppressing the grief in his heart, and walked towards the post station with Yan Ruyu.

The night was deep, and the wooden doors of the post station were tightly shut.

Huo Changhe raised his hand and gently knocked on the door. After a short while, dragging footsteps came from inside, accompanied by a yawn, and the wooden door was pulled open a crack.

A courier poked his head out, still sleepy-eyed, and looked them up and down.

Seeing that they were well-dressed and had a refined air, he opened the door and let them in, then carried the lantern forward.

As the courier walked along, he said lazily, "Are you looking for lodging? It's too late, the kitchen has been closed for a long time, there are only empty rooms available, lodging is provided but meals are not."

"We're not staying here; we've come to inquire about something," Huo Changhe said calmly. "A few days ago, did three men, one named Chen San and the other Li Wu, come to your inn?"

The courier rubbed his eyes, waved his hand, and said without hesitation, "I don't remember. There are so many people coming and going from this post station every day. Who can remember everyone's name? People keep stopping and going, and they forget everything as soon as they turn their heads."

"Since you've received guests, there should be a record book. Show it to us," Huo Changhe pressed.

These words seemed to annoy the courier, whose lazy expression turned into impatience, and he pursed his lips and said, "Where did you get so many booklets?"

People in a hurry usually travel quickly, and we're too lazy to register anyway, since we're only staying one night and then leaving, so it doesn't really matter whether we register or not.

Yan Ruyu felt a surge of anger as she looked at the courier's perfunctory attitude, but she still held back and said in a deep voice, "We are genuinely inquiring about something, not trying to make things difficult for you."

Speak politely and answer truthfully whenever asked, to avoid trouble.

The courier, however, showed no restraint. He snorted and rolled his eyes, saying, "I'm just a lowly courier, in charge of a few empty rooms. I don't know anything else. If you want to stay, stay; if you don't, leave now and don't keep me from sleeping."

Having said that, he turned to leave, only to be met by Yin Ding, who was walking briskly towards him, his shoulder bumping solidly into him.

The courier was knocked forward by the impact and almost fell to the ground.

He staggered and grabbed a tree for support, then turned to yell and curse.

Looking up, he saw Yin Ding's burly figure, dressed in a tight-fitting outfit, with a cold and stern expression. The curse that was about to come out of his mouth was swallowed back, and a hint of fear flashed in his eyes.

Yin Ding reached out and grabbed him by the back of the neck, pulling him aside like a chick. He then turned to Huo Changhe and Yan Ruyu and said, "I'll go ask him, so he won't keep dawdling."

Having said that, he grabbed the courier and headed toward the woodshed next to the post station.

Yan Ruyu glanced at the tables in the post station, took out paper and pen from her spatial storage, and said to Huo Changhe, "Tell me what Chen San, Li Wu and the other two look like. I'll draw a portrait. Just asking around by name won't be enough. It's better to let the post station staff recognize them by their portraits, that will be more accurate."

Huo Changhe nodded and described the three men's appearances in detail: "Chen San is a bit short, with a square face and a scar on his left eyebrow; Li Wu is tall with a full beard; and there's Wang Gui, who has a fair complexion and a mole on his chin..."

Yan Ruyu picked up her brush and began to write. The tip of her brush quickly sketched on the rice paper. In just a moment, the appearances of the three people appeared on the paper, with their eyebrows, scars, and features drawn perfectly.

As soon as he finished drawing, Yin Ding came out of the woodshed, followed by the courier, who kept his head down and was no longer as arrogant as before.

"What this kid said is true. The post station doesn't usually register guests. People from all over the country come and go, and he can't remember who is who. He only knows whether people come to stay or leave."

Yan Ruyu picked up the finished portrait and handed it to Yin Ding: "Show this to him and let him see if he has seen these three people before."

Yin Ding took the portrait, walked up to the courier, and handed it to him: "Look closely, have you seen these three people? Tell me the truth!"

The courier looked up at the portrait, his gaze sweeping over the three people in it. His eyes lit up immediately, and he nodded hurriedly, saying, "I've seen them before!"

These are the three people who came to the inn a few days ago. I remember them, especially the one with the scar on his left eyebrow; he even argued with me a bit back then.

"Oh? What happened?" Huo Changhe stepped forward and asked.

"It was almost dark when they arrived. They said they were going to Youcheng and asked if I could prepare some food. I was busy packing at the time, so I was a little slow. This scarred guy got impatient. He had a loud voice and even slammed his fist on the table."

The courier quickly said, "The bearded man next to him is still pulling him along, trying to persuade him that the mission is important and he shouldn't worry about it, telling me to hurry up and finish eating so we can continue our journey."

Yin Ding frowned and asked, "Did they end up staying?"

The courier first nodded, then immediately shook his head.

Yin Ding's anger flared up immediately, and he said in a deep voice, "Did you stay there or not? Explain clearly!"

Stop dawdling! If you dare to hesitate again, you'll regret it!