TSFLIP Chapter 801

Due to the external Project commitment, this title will be released once every 2 days till the end of the month.

After hearing those words — something that sounded like a promise, but not quite — Fengguang left Linglong Manor feeling very pleased.

In her palm, she clutched the piece of candy he had given her, reluctant to eat it just yet. Humming happily, she walked down the street, only to notice a crowd gathered near the riverbank.

Curious, she went over to see what was happening — and froze when she saw a body floating in the river. From the clothes and build, it was clearly a man. The distance was too great for her to see his face clearly, but several constables were already wading into the water to retrieve the corpse.

Fengguang had always avoided anything to do with the dead. She didn’t want to give herself nightmares later that night. Taking a step back, she decided to leave—only to accidentally step on someone’s foot.

A sharp intake of breath came from above her, followed by an indignant voice.
“Hey, little girl, didn’t you see me standing right next to you?”

The voice sounded familiar. She looked up — and sure enough, it was Shu Qiu, the magistrate of Tong County. Forcing a polite smile, she quickly apologized.
“I’m sorry, my lord. I didn’t see you there.”

“Forget it, forget it. I’m not going to argue with a little girl.” Shu Qiu flicked open his folding fan with practiced grace, though his tone was heavy with frustration. “What rotten luck! First, I had to swallow my anger at Linglong Manor, then I stumbled across a corpse floating in the river, and now I’ve been stepped on. Truly, this is a cursed day.”

“My lord,” Fengguang said cheerfully, “blessings and misfortunes depend on each other — who knows? Maybe this is a sign of good luck to come.”

“Oh?” He raised an eyebrow. “A young girl like you knows the saying that fortune and misfortune are intertwined?”

“I don’t, really,” she admitted. “My father’s the one who says it. Whenever he loses money in business, he likes to remind himself with that phrase.”

Shu Qiu chuckled. “Your father sounds like a broad-minded man. Not many merchants can keep such a calm heart.”

Just then, the constables hauled the body out of the river. One of them approached and reported, “My lord, the deceased is a male. It appears he drowned after falling in while drunk.”

Shu Qiu glanced at the corpse from a distance. “What happened to his face?”

“He likely struck a rock beneath the water when he fell. The upper half of his face is badly damaged, especially the eyes. They’re… unrecognizable.”

“Find out who he is as soon as possible,” Shu Qiu ordered, “so his family can claim the body.”

“Yes, my lord.” The constable bowed and left.

Just hearing the description made Fengguang’s stomach turn. She didn’t dare look back at the corpse. “My lord, if there’s nothing else, I’ll be on my way,” she said quietly.

“Wait a moment.”

She paused. “Is there something else, my lord?”

“I want to ask you something.” Shu Qiu crouched slightly so they were eye level. He glanced around to make sure no one was listening, then lowered his voice conspiratorially. “You and the master of Linglong Manor… are you two close?”

“Close?” Fengguang blinked. “I’m not sure. I’ve only been to Linglong Manor a few times.”

Whether that counted as “close,” she’d let him decide for himself.

“Most people can’t even get inside that place once, and you’ve been there several times…” Shu Qiu’s eyes suddenly widened as if something had just occurred to him. He stared at Fengguang in shock, so stunned that his fan slipped from his hand, forgotten.

Fengguang frowned. “What do you mean, ‘could it be’?”

“N-no… nothing,” Shu Qiu muttered, his brow furrowing. “I should have realized it sooner…”

“Realized what?” Fengguang asked in confusion.