I Have a Dice Left by a God

Chapter 685 - 277: Only a Woman Can Kill Her

Inside the Nalan residence.Nalan Jingguo was drinking tea, with Nalan of the Potter Family attending at his side; no one else had been allowed to enter.

"Tell me, who did it?" Nalan Jingguo asked.

"Grandpa, wasn’t it us?" Nalan of the Potter Family said with a wry smile. "Right now everyone thinks it was us."

"Seems our reputation isn’t all that great." Nalan Jingguo said.

"Grandpa, you’re still in the mood to joke at a time like this. The Potter Family has always had this style." Nalan of the Potter Family said. "Do you want me to go shut Hong Ban up for a while?"

"Let him make a fuss for a bit; it’s not exactly a bad thing for us." Nalan Jingguo took a sip of tea. "Things just got interesting."

Only then did Nalan of the Potter Family realize it really might not have been them, nor the Potter Family. If the Potter Family were going to make a move, even if no one else knew, they could not possibly do it without talking to Grandpa first. Besides, the two sides were currently evenly matched, with them even slightly in the lead; there was no need at all to use this kind of method, and it wasn’t the time either. From the angle of motive it didn’t make sense. That said, doing the opposite wasn’t impossible, so Nalan himself wasn’t certain. But from his position, he had to find some way to clear things up.

Because of this sudden incident, the three major newspapers of the Hex Bird Society were selling out; whether it was Citizen, Justice, or Flying Bird, they all devoted their largest spreads to reporting all sorts of gossip and rumors related to this incident. Especially Flying Bird: the more absurd and outlandish the better—it already felt like they were writing a novel.

The Freedom Daily was born in this sort of atmosphere, quietly, unnoticed by anyone. For now Freedom Newspaper was still in a running-in period, not caring about sales and not yet playing any trump cards.

While the Church Court, the Knight Order, and the City Guard were busy, the Night Patrol surprisingly did not involve themselves too much. After leaving the Hong Family’s estate, they did not continue to insist that the Night Patrol follow up on the case.

On the weekend, when Li Xin had thought he’d be working overtime, he instead sat quietly at the table. Lin Fei, Echo, and Kathy had all come back; Kathy wasn’t working overtime either.

The three of them stared curiously at a small, skinny figure happily bustling about in the kitchen. "He’s that Ma Liu from Hedan? The one who’s really good at cooking? He doesn’t look all that good at it." Lin Echo pressed her lips together; she’d come specifically to eat and to watch the show.

"Then you’re wrong. He’s one of the very few people in this world who can actually cook." Kathy said. The dignified new elder of the Gourmet Association... was cooking in Li Xin’s home.

"He’s from the Gourmet Association?" Lin Fei’s occupational instincts flared; she immediately sniffed out a business opportunity.

"A new elder of the Gourmet Association, Alain Ducasse, nickname Ma Liu, one of the five great elders of the Gourmet Association. Even among the hidden figures of the Dao Yuan Continent, he has his own place." Kathy said. This man carried tremendous Wish Power and karma on him. "Why would he come to Dragon Capital?"

"To look for me. He might be staying for a while." Li Xin smiled. "We’re in for a treat."

"An elder of the Gourmet Association—*that* Gourmet Association?"

"Yeah, that one."

Lin Fei brightened. "Ah Xin, can I interview him?"

"Aunt Fei, I think instead of an interview, having him do a food column would be better."

Lin Fei nodded hard, finding Ma Liu in the kitchen more and more pleasing to the eye.

Before long, a whole table of dishes was served. If not for maintaining appearances, they’d all be drooling. Li Xin wasn’t so polite; he dug in immediately, and before long the battle at the dining table had begun.

"Ah Xin, why are you grabbing mine—that’s mine, I called dibs!"

"Your name on it or something? Whoever finishes it, it’s theirs!"

"Mom, Sister Kathy, Ah Xin’s bullying me, hit him!"

Lin Fei and Kathy had no time to bother with these two; they could barely eat fast enough. Even Madam Secretary herself was tasting the handiwork of a Gourmet Association elder for the first time. It could only be said that each craft has its master; on the path of food, Gourmets were the professionals.

Soon Li Xin and Echo realized something was off, gave up on arguing, and focused on shoveling food.

Ma Liu was very pleased; by the looks of it, he had already won over Lin Fei and the others.

It was rare for a meal to be eaten in such quiet; everyone sang its praises, even forgetting to drink. After they finished, a week’s worth of fatigue was swept away. Lin Fei, who had been busy for days under heavy pressure, felt she could push herself a bit more. Even Xueyin felt she could still do homework.

Kathy, for once, truly experienced the deliciousness of food. After becoming an Angel, the allure of food gradually weakens, but a Gourmet can awaken a person’s five senses.

"Hearing is never as good as seeing for oneself. Elder Ducasse’s craft is indeed impressive." Kathy said.

"Madam Secretary can just call me Ma Liu." Ma Liu said with a smile.

Li Xin could call him that, but Kathy couldn’t. In terms of hidden identities, Ma Liu’s status as a Gourmet elder carried far more weight in Dao Yuan than hers. Put it this way: if Ma Liu properly laid out a banquet in Dragon Capital, Kathy wouldn’t even make the guest list.

"Ma Liu, Kathy started a newspaper and wants to do a food column. Interested in writing something?" Li Xin asked, rubbing his stomach. After a long day, eating well felt like peak happiness.

"Sure, but can I use Ma Liu as my pen name?" Ma Liu asked. The Gourmet Association was one of the Secret Organizations with very few enemies and no direct competitors, but a bit of discretion was always better.

"No problem, as long as Elder Ducasse is willing. The format’s negotiable." Lin Fei was overjoyed.

"I’ll do whatever Brother Li says."

After the meal, Lin Fei dragged Xueyin upstairs to check on her recent studies. Ma Liu happily cleaned up the table. Li Xin and Kathy sat on the balcony drinking, since they’d been too busy eating just now.

"Sister Kathy, I thought you’d be working overtime. Didn’t expect you to be this free." Li Xin raised his glass and clinked it against Kathy’s.

"This area is under Red-robed Archbishop Farson, so we don’t need to get involved." Kathy said. "What surprises me is that you Night Patrol folks have nothing to do either. Didn’t you already visit the scene?"

"Hong Yan’s death is connected to the Little Skinner case. It’s highly likely that the skins the Little Skinner made back then were all used in this assassination. The planning started years ago. The killer’s aim is far more than just Hong Yan and this election. I already told them the situation, but it seems they don’t think much of the Night Patrol." Li Xin shrugged.

"Your real target is the Slave Master, right?" Kathy said.

Li Xin nodded. He wasn’t interested in the fights up top, but using this chance to dig out the Slave Master was an opportunity. That was why he’d given the other side some intel. It looked like they intended to investigate on their own, which was fine; that way he only had to follow in the dark.

"That’s not bad. The Hong Family is also a core member of the Dragon Fortune Association. With something this big, if they investigate themselves they’re bound to find something."

"What I’m worried about is whether the Hong Family, after taking such a big loss, will accept a利益交换 from the other side." Li Xin said suddenly.

These top families wouldn’t let emotions run rampant. After venting for a while, once they calmed down they would probably return to the negotiating table.

"It’s possible." Kathy said. "But that mastermind behind the scenes won’t agree. Do you think Nalan and the Potter Family did it?"

"They’re among the suspects. After all, with a stunt like this their gains are huge. The newspapers are all muddying the waters, saying Hong Yan was lecherous and died on a woman’s belly. In this situation, the public won’t feel any resentment toward Nalan Jingguo; they’ll instead think he got what he deserved." Li Xin said.

They both felt the killer had played this move beautifully. If Hong Yan had died in battle, or by poison or something, Nalan Jingguo would likely be finished. But dying on a woman’s belly, and a pretty widow at that, was another story entirely.

"Flying Bird Daily is pushing hard. I wonder what role Hundred Martial Hall is playing in all this."

"No one’s sitting still."

This was a contest between multiple forces, with no real right or wrong—only a struggle for power.

"The woman was Nun Eliza." Li Xin said.

Kathy’s gaze turned steely. "Her?"

"Yeah, we can be pretty sure. Multiple Singers arriving in Dragon Capital means that aside from the Slave Master and the Nun, there are at least one or two more."

"Since they’ve come, don’t let them get away again." Kathy’s eyes went cold. "The Nun is from Withered Wood Monastery, a discarded disciple of Withered Wood Monastery, but her cultivation on the path of the seductive woman is considerable. Once you find her, hand her over to me. Don’t take the initiative, because men can’t kill her."

"Men can’t kill her?" Li Xin frowned slightly.

Kathy nodded. "The seductive woman path isn’t just about seducing men. Eliza herself was the last disciple of the abbot of Withered Wood Monastery, originally the heir apparent to the next abbot. Her strength is anything but ordinary. Her path of the seductive woman has likely reached completion; men cannot raise a hand against her. This isn’t an illusion—it’s power. Only a woman can kill her."