The next morning, Ye Tiancheng and his companions managed to find some food without the innkeeper's knowledge, making it seem like it came from their backpacks when it was actually from their storage space.
They ate their fill and had no intention of sharing with the innkeeper.
If the innkeeper hadn't provided problematic food yesterday, they wouldn't be treating him this way now, nor would they be detaining him here. Besides, it was just one breakfast; not providing it wouldn't be a big deal. People wouldn't starve from skipping a single meal.
Early the next morning, Lin Yanqin knocked on Ye Tiancheng's door. When Ye Tiancheng opened it and saw Lin Yanqin, they didn't try to hide anything and let her in.
As Lin Yanqin entered, she was about to speak but was startled to see the innkeeper tied to the bed frame by Ye Tiancheng and his group. She stared in disbelief and asked Ye Tiancheng, "Wh-what is going on here?"
Ye Tiancheng and his group had no intention of keeping it a secret. They wouldn't be letting the innkeeper go easily, and since Lin Yanqin would be staying for seven days, she was bound to discover the innkeeper's predicament sooner or later. What if the innkeeper misled Lin Yanqin and framed them while they were away?
Ye Tiancheng explained to Lin Yanqin, "Miss Lin, please don't misunderstand. It's because this is a black inn. The innkeeper tried to overcharge us on the first day we checked in. Since we couldn't leave immediately, we had to agree to pay extra to settle the matter."
"However, we didn't expect this fellow to be after our money and our lives."
"Yesterday, when we returned and were discussing matters, he brought us some food. We weren't very hungry at the time and found his excessive attentiveness suspicious, so we didn't eat it. Later, we discovered him and his staff trying to pry open our room door, saying they had drugged our food and that we would surely be unconscious and have no problems."
"We managed to apprehend him in the end."
As he spoke, Ye Tiancheng paused briefly and looked at Lin Yanqin sincerely. "Given that he intended to harm us and this is a black inn, we had to restrain him to ensure our safety. Miss Lin, you should be able to understand, right?"
Lin Yanqin had not considered any of this. Frankly, she had no idea she was staying in a black inn. Perhaps it was because she hadn't stayed in a black inn a hundred years ago, so during the loop, Lin Yanqin naturally wouldn't think so. Or perhaps Lin Yanqin was too slow-witted. Or maybe the innkeeper knew Lin Yanqin was a key figure in the special event and dared not harm her, treating her with excessive courtesy, which is why Lin Yanqin remained oblivious.
The innkeeper dared not refute anything Ye Tiancheng said, only lowering his head and sitting on the ground. Shackled to the bed frame, he could only sit on the floor.
Lin Yanqin was initially half-believing, but she had a good impression of Ye Tiancheng and his group. After all, yesterday they had actively helped her search for her ruby pendant, analyzing possibilities and looking for clues. Lin Yanqin naturally trusted Ye Tiancheng and his group more. Seeing the innkeeper's guilty demeanor now, she trusted Ye Tiancheng's words even more.
Lin Yanqin exclaimed with surprise and relief, "I had no idea it was like this. He never threatened me like that. I wouldn't have believed he would do such a thing. If you hadn't told me, Ye Tiancheng, I wouldn't have believed it."
Ye Tiancheng replied to Lin Yanqin, "When we first checked into this inn, we also couldn't believe that the owner would be this kind of person."
Lin Yanqin became somewhat curious. She asked Ye Tiancheng, "Then why didn't he make a move on me?"
"It's truly terrifying. I'm carrying so much wealth with me. Could they have been targeting me all along and preparing to make a move on me?"
"Could my ruby pendant..."
At this point, the innkeeper repeatedly shook his head and quickly defended himself, "No, no, no! Miss Lin, please don't misunderstand. I admit I was greedy and did some very bad things, but I absolutely never had any intentions towards you."
"You are such a beautiful and noble young lady; it's evident you have an extraordinary status. We petty people dare not offend you lightly!"
Lin Yanqin believed the innkeeper's explanation. She said, "So that's how it is. It's good that you know you were wrong and accept the deserved punishment."
Ye Tiancheng interjected, "After yesterday's interrogation, the innkeeper confessed that he has already caused dozens of deaths. We will definitely make him pay a severe price."
Lin Yanqin, who had felt a bit of sympathy for the innkeeper seeing his sincere explanation and his respectful address towards her, immediately lost all that sympathy upon hearing Ye Tiancheng's words, replaced by disgust.
Ye Tiancheng and his group then asked Lin Yanqin why she had come so early. Lin Yanqin finally remembered the main reason. She addressed Ye Tiancheng and his three companions, "Regarding the matter of someone entering my room and stealing my ruby pendant, it seems there are some new clues. So, I wanted to come and ask you to help me take a look."
Ye Tiancheng and his companions exchanged glances. However, it wasn't easy to agree to this immediately. Ye Tiancheng thought for a moment before saying to Lin Yanqin, "How about this, Miss Lin? We're also a bit tied up at the moment. After all, we can't just leave this innkeeper here unattended. There are still his staff in this inn. What if he gets rescued by his staff when we're gone? That wouldn't be good."
Lin Yanqin also showed a slightly troubled expression. She asked, "Then what should we do?"
Ye Tiancheng said to Lin Yanqin, "Miss Lin, please don't be upset. There are four of us brothers. We can split up. I'll have a friend who is skilled in these matters, along with my brother, go with you to check your room for any new clues. Then they can come back and discuss it with us. We'll leave two of us here to watch the innkeeper. Do you think this arrangement is acceptable?"
Lin Yanqin immediately nodded. She said to Ye Tiancheng, "Of course, that's fine. This is a personal matter of mine, and I've caused you trouble. It's already very good that you're willing to help me. Thank you."
Ye Tiancheng replied, "This is something we promised you beforehand, so we will naturally handle it well. Please rest assured, Miss Lin."
After discussing it, Ye Tiancheng and his group of four separated. Ye Tiancheng asked Xiao Huli and Nie Chongyang to accompany Lin Yanqin to her room to examine any new clues and then return to discuss with Ye Tiancheng and the others. As for Ye Tiancheng and Liang Ping, they stayed in the room. On the surface, they told Lin Yanqin that they needed people to guard the innkeeper, in case he escaped. However, in reality, for Ye Tiancheng and his group, it wouldn't be that difficult to keep the innkeeper under control even if they all left. Ye Tiancheng's explanation was merely an excuse. In fact, he had another purpose. Ye Tiancheng also thought that Lin Yanqin's matter didn't necessarily require all of them to be present. It would be better to tackle both tasks simultaneously, without having to do things one by one. After all, they had four people and had the energy to split their efforts.
After Xiao Huli and Nie Chongyang left with Lin Yanqin, Ye Tiancheng sat down on a bed near the frame where the innkeeper was shackled. Seeing Ye Tiancheng approach, the innkeeper said weakly, "You don't need to guard me so closely. I can't escape."
Ye Tiancheng smiled and said, "I know you can't escape. I'm not staying here to guard you."
The innkeeper looked at Ye Tiancheng with some curiosity. He asked, "Then what are you here for?"
Ye Tiancheng replied, "Naturally, I have some questions for you."
The innkeeper said, very tiredly and helplessly, "Yesterday, you asked me questions, and I told you everything I could. What else do you want to ask?"
Ye Tiancheng said, "It's not about yesterday's events."
The innkeeper looked puzzled. Ye Tiancheng asked the innkeeper, "Just now, when Lin Yanqin misunderstood you and heard that you were the owner of a black inn, she suspected if you had any intentions towards her."
"You seemed quite scared then?"
"You were so eager to explain, even using respectful terms towards her?"
"You didn't react like that when we had a knife to your throat yesterday, did you?"
The innkeeper hadn't expected Ye Tiancheng to ask him this. He said, "Of course, I was scared. And in this regard, I wasn't lying at all."
"Apart from what I feared, which was not Lin Yanqin's family background, what else was false? With her status, how could I dare to have intentions towards her? Her ruby pendant was lost a hundred years ago; what does it have to do with me?"
"On the contrary, if she misunderstood and truly believed I did it, wouldn't I be finished?"
Ye Tiancheng was not easily fooled. He said to the innkeeper, "You don't seem that afraid of her. You even dared to use Lin Yanqin as bait to lure people to your black inn to harm them, saying that Lin Yanqin was very much like a normal person and wouldn't arouse suspicion or fear."
"Isn't that saying Lin Yanqin isn't that formidable?"
"Then, what are you afraid of?"
Seeing that Ye Tiancheng was insistent on getting to the bottom of it, the innkeeper dared not refuse to answer and could only confess honestly.
"It's because something happened before."
Ye Tiancheng said with interest, "Tell me about it."
Liang Ping silently listened, even taking notes, as if he were taking a statement from this black innkeeper. The innkeeper felt uncomfortable. After thinking for a moment, he said, "How should I put this?"
"Lin Yanqin, after all, is a key figure in a special event location. Truly speaking, she can't be entirely without danger."
"However, in the past, I also thought she wasn't very powerful, no different from an ordinary woman. But later, something happened."
It was when the innkeeper had once again tricked people into his black inn to serve as bait. That person was extremely lustful and definitely had ill intentions towards Lin Yanqin, preparing to make a move on her. Even though the person realized they were caught in a special event loop, they didn't take it seriously enough. This was because Lin Yanqin appeared too harmless. The innkeeper himself also had lustful thoughts, but he was always a bit scared of overly beautiful women. Moreover, he knew Lin Yanqin wasn't human, so he didn't harbor any intentions, unlike that beast. That beast, after taking a liking to Lin Yanqin, couldn't wait and planned to make a move within three days. He secretly went to Lin Yanqin's room to make his move, without the innkeeper's knowledge, truly unafraid of death.