Before he could finish, someone viciously kicked the young man in the mouth, causing him to spit out a mouthful of blood and a big tooth with a "pfft" sound.
Lin Yuan turned around and saw Xia Zheng scoff contemptuously, revealing his most charming and mesmerizing profile as he disdainfully said to the young man, "You think you’re handsome? More like decrepit if anything!"
Lin Yuan facepalmed, certain these words had been taught to him by Xiao Linshuang. That was it; she couldn’t say these out-of-place phrases in front of her sister anymore. Look, just look, how many had she corrupted?
That young man, after being kicked, instantly lost all his brazen arrogance. Having been around the block, he had a keen eye and realized that this unassuming young man standing behind Lin Yuan was the most dangerous one.
"Yes, yes, you’re right, sir, I’m not handsome, not at all."
Xia Zheng rolled his eyes and ignored him.
Liuzi snickered from the side and pointed at Lin Yuan and Xia Zheng, "These are our boss and the boss lady. You better answer their questions honestly when they ask you, and don’t try any tricks. Otherwise, I’ll chop you into mincemeat and throw you to the dogs at Mass Graves!"
Having said that, and fearing this guy might think he was bluffing, Liuzi gave a dangerously amused smile, narrowed his eyes, and threatened, "Don’t think I’m lying. My favorite thing to do is chop meat, especially a bony frame like yours. Just smash it with a hammer, and bam!"
The young man shuddered, too scared to listen to any more, his legs giving out as he slumped to the ground with tears and snot coming out together with the blood from his mouth, making him look like a Da Hua face.
"I’ll tell you everything, absolutely everything, I won’t play any tricks, no tricks!"
Seeing him cry so woefully, Liuzi smiled proudly, relishing the feeling of threatening someone.
Lin Yuan facepalmed again, feeling like even Liuzi had changed during the brief time they had parted. Where had the crafty, honest guy gone, and how had he suddenly become so violent?
Lin Yuan cleared her throat and asked, "What’s your line of work? Who sent you here today?"
The young man, his tears flowing, spoke with a lisp due to the lost tooth, "They call me Shunzi. It’s, it’s Shopkeeper Chen from the Century-old Cake Shop who sent me. He gave, he gave me the medicine too."
Lin Yuan grimaced, feeling some sympathy for the young man due to Xia Zheng’s ruthless kick.
"You work at the Century-old Cake Shop?"
Shunzi shook his head, "No, no, I’m not. I’m, I’m a thief."
Lin Yuan suddenly understood; Shopkeeper Chen was a clever man indeed, knowing to hire someone from the outside to administer the poison, ensuring that any trouble wouldn’t be traced back to him. After all, thieves were accustomed to sneaky deeds, and slipping someone poison would come naturally to them. If she hadn’t instructed the guards to be vigilant at all times, they might not have caught him. The people who came before to administer the poison were probably also thieves.
Lin Yuan took out a packet of medicine given to her by Liuzi and waved it in front of him, "This medicine?"
Shunzi sniffled, nodded.
A guard stepped forward, displaying his open hand, "Boss, we found another packet in his shoe afterward."
Lin Yuan frowned, and thinking it was from his shoe, chose not to take it.
"Shopkeeper Chen sure is thorough, preparing two packets of poison for you as if he feared you wouldn’t complete the task," Lin Yuan said with a smirk to Shunzi.
Shunzi felt a chill from her smile and quickly admitted, "He gave me a large packet, and I, I split it into two."