The frail counselor you said, you fight against three heroes alone?

That day, a gust of wind blew past, and the portrait of Linglong on Xiyu's desk in the Prime Minister's Mansion was blown away by the wind.

The paper that the portrait was made of was extremely hard, and it fluttered in the strong wind but was never damaged.

The portrait is like a light leaf, rising and falling in the wind and drifting away into the distance.

It floated through the bustling streets, passed through the quiet alleys, and finally came to a quiet forest.

The portrait slowly fell through the woods and hung on a low-hanging branch.

The sunlight shines through the gaps in the leaves onto the portrait, as if covering it with a layer of mysterious glow.

In this woods, birds are singing happily on the branches and small animals are running and playing in the grass.

The sudden appearance of the portrait brought an unusual atmosphere to this quiet forest.

The wind gradually died down, and the portrait hung there quietly, waiting to be discovered.

It seems to carry an important mission and may inadvertently change someone's destiny.

That day, a farmer named Ren Dabai walked into the woods carrying a hoe, looking tired.

He planned to take a short rest here to relieve the fatigue of his work.

When he put down his hoe and prepared to find a comfortable place to sit down, his eyes were suddenly attracted by a portrait on a branch not far away.

Ren Dabai's eyes widened instantly, and his whole body stared at the portrait blankly, as if he was under a spell.

"This... why does the girl in this portrait look so much like my daughter who died many years ago?" Ren Dabai was filled with shock and confusion.

He slowly approached the portrait, stretched out his slightly trembling hand, and gently touched the face in the portrait.

His eyes revealed endless longing and sadness.

"My daughter, you have been away from me for so many years, and I miss you all the time. Why does this girl look so much like you? Is it God's arrangement?" Ren Dabai's eyes gradually became moist, and tears welled up in his eyes.

There was an obsessive look on his face, as if he was watching his daughter reappear before him.

"What is going on? Who is this girl? Why does she look so much like my daughter?" Ren Dabai's mind was full of questions, and he decided to find out the origin of this portrait.

On this day, Xi Yu was dressed and riding on a tall horse, ready to go to Fang County.

He was thinking about Fang Jun, especially Ouyang Lian, whom he appointed but had never met.

"During this inspection of Fang County, I must take a good look at what kind of person Ouyang Lian is."

The horse galloped, raising clouds of dust.

Xi Yu straightened his back, sat firmly on the horse, and looked straight ahead.

Xi Yu stepped into Fangjun and looked at the bustling streets, feeling a little emotional.

He led the horse and found an inn and went in.

He handed the horse to the waiter and solemnly instructed, "Feed the horse well." The waiter nodded in response.

Xi Yu found a quiet place to sit down. The inn was crowded with people eating, and the seats were almost full.

While Xi Yu was thinking quietly, a person came in front of him.

The man had an elegant face and wise eyes. He asked politely, "Brother, can I sit opposite you? I can't find a seat."

Xi Yu nodded slightly and agreed: "Please sit down."

At this time, Xi Yu did not know that the person in front of him was Ouyang Lian, whom he came to see.

After Ouyang Lian sat down, he smiled and nodded to Xi Yu in thanks.

He looked at Xi Yu, secretly guessing his identity in his heart.

Xi Yu was immersed in his own thoughts, completely unaware of the coincidence of fate that was about to unfold in this small inn.

"My purse was stolen! That's all I have!"

There was an uproar in the inn, and everyone's eyes were directed to the person who was shouting.

I saw a middle-aged man with a face full of anxiety and anger. He was shouting loudly and looking around anxiously.

The middle-aged man's shouts echoed in the inn, and a tense atmosphere spread, as if a storm was about to sweep across the entire inn.

Inside the inn, the originally lively atmosphere was instantly broken by this loud shout.

Everyone's eyes turned to the middle-aged man and the young man who was identified.

The middle-aged man was furious. He pointed at the young man at the next table and said loudly, "It's you! My purse was stolen. I just saw you sneaking around me. You are the thief."

His eyes were burning with anger, as if he wanted to eat the young man alive.

When the young man heard this, his face immediately turned red. He stood up angrily and retorted loudly: "You are talking nonsense! Why are you accusing me? I didn't steal your purse at all."

Xi Yu and Ouyang Lian were also attracted by this sudden quarrel.

Xi Yu frowned slightly and observed the two people's reactions calmly.

Ouyang Lian had a thoughtful look on his face, as if he was analyzing the truth of the matter.

The atmosphere in the inn became increasingly tense.

The middle-aged man blushed and excitedly asked for a body search.

"You have to search me, otherwise how can you prove your innocence?"

The young man's eyes widened with anger and he objected strongly: "Why do you want to search me? You are slandering me!" His face was full of anger and unwillingness.

Just as the two sides were in a stalemate, the shopkeeper hurried over.

He frowned and asked in confusion, "What's going on?"

The middle-aged man immediately pointed at the young man and said anxiously: "Boss, my purse was stolen, and I suspect he did it."

The young man responded without showing any weakness: "He is a psychopath and he wrongly accused me for no reason."

The shopkeeper looked at the middle-aged man and then at the young man, not knowing what to do for a moment.

There was a look of embarrassment in his eyes, and he was thinking about how to resolve this dispute.

Other diners in the inn were also whispering to each other, discussing the right and wrong of the matter.

The middle-aged man glared at the young man and said in a tough tone: "In that case, I will report to the authorities! I want to see what the authorities say. Do you have the courage to come with me?"

The young man's expression became even uglier. He stiffened his neck and said, "This matter has nothing to do with me. Why should I go? If you want to report it to the police, go ahead. I'm not afraid."

The atmosphere in the inn became increasingly tense, and everyone was waiting for further developments.

The shopkeeper sighed helplessly, not knowing how to persuade the two men.

Xi Yu and Ouyang Lian looked at each other and saw the same judgment in each other's eyes.

Their eyes were fixed on the young man, and they saw that the young man's eyes were flickering, clearly revealing his guilty conscience.

The middle-aged man became more and more anxious. He shouted to the people around him: "Look, I didn't wrongly accuse anyone! I dare to guarantee with my life that it was definitely this young man who stole my purse."

His voice was a little hoarse with excitement, and his face was full of grief and anger.

Xi Yu frowned slightly, and had some guesses in his mind.

Other people in the inn also started talking about it. Some began to doubt the young man, while others felt that the middle-aged man was too arbitrary.

The young man looked even more flustered under the gaze of the crowd. He stammered, "No...it's not me. You can't wrongly accuse a good person."

At this tense moment, Ouyang Lian slowly stood up.

He had an upright posture and an elegant temperament, instantly attracting everyone's attention.

Ouyang Lian cleared his throat and asked calmly, "Don't argue with each other, tell me who you are."

The middle-aged man hurriedly replied: "I am a resident nearby and make a living by doing some small business. I came to the inn to eat today, but I didn't expect that my wallet would be stolen."

The young man said reluctantly: "I am also a resident nearby. He wrongly accused me for no reason. I feel so wronged."

Ouyang Lian nodded slightly, looking at them thoughtfully, already having some plans in mind.

Xi Yu quietly observed Ouyang Lian's actions from the side, looking forward to how he would handle the situation.

Ouyang Lian stared at the young man with a sharp gaze and said in a serious tone: "Why are you so afraid of being searched? If you really didn't steal, you can prove your innocence this way."

The young man's expression suddenly became uglier. A trace of panic flashed across his eyes, but was quickly replaced by stubbornness.

He stiffened his neck and shouted, "I didn't steal anything! Do we have to search someone just because that person wrongly accused them? This is too unreasonable."

Ouyang Lian looked at the young man's reaction and his doubts grew even more.

He narrowed his eyes slightly and continued, "If you are truly innocent, why would you resist being searched? This will only make people more suspicious of you."

"I just don't want to be wrongly accused. Why should I be searched just because he wants to?" Although his voice was firm, it could not hide his inner uneasiness.

Ouyang Lian frowned slightly, and after thinking for a moment, his eyes suddenly lit up and he came up with an idea. He looked at the young man again and said firmly: "If the body search proves that you did not steal, I am willing to take all the responsibilities. You can do whatever you want."

As soon as this statement came out, the whole audience was shocked.

Everyone looked at each other, their eyes full of disbelief.

Ouyang Lian's decision was so bold that one cannot help but admire his courage and responsibility.

The middle-aged man did not expect Ouyang Lian to say this. He was stunned for a moment, and then his face was full of gratitude.

"Sir, I am really touched by you. If it is proven that this boy did not steal, I am willing to kneel down and apologize to him."

The young man had a complicated expression on his face.

Ouyang Lian looked at the young man's reaction and became more certain of his guess.

He smiled and said, "Well? What reason do you have for refusing the body search now?"

The young man's face turned pale, his lips trembled slightly, but he couldn't utter a word.

Inside the inn, everyone's eyes were focused on the young man like a spotlight.

The guests shouted, "Yes, search us! If you don't allow me to search you, it means you have something to hide."

Their faces were filled with indignation and they wanted to seek justice for the middle-aged man.

Ouyang Lian put his hands behind his back, his posture as straight as a pine tree.

He narrowed his eyes slightly, staring sharply at the young man, his tone calm but oppressive.

"What else do you have to say now? Although what you said makes sense, others cannot search you at will, but now that this big brother and I have made a promise, what reason do you have to resist?"

The young man's face grew paler and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

The atmosphere in the inn was extremely tense, like a string about to break.

Xi Yu sat aside, observing all this quietly, his eyes revealing admiration for Ouyang Lian.

Under the strong pressure from the crowd, the young man's face became extremely ugly.

His eyes were full of helplessness.

Finally, he gritted his teeth, slowly stood up, and said in a low voice: "Search."

The middle-aged man walked forward impatiently and began to search the person with his hands trembling slightly.

After a while, the middle-aged man found the purse from the young man.

He held the purse tightly, and questioned the young man with cold eyes: "What else do you have to say now?"

The young man's body shook violently, and his face instantly turned as pale as paper.

Ouyang Lian breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the purse had been found.

The other people in the inn accused the young man, their words filled with anger and contempt.

"He is indeed a thief, totally devoid of conscience!"

"You are so young and you don't learn your lesson. You actually do such sneaky things."

"This kind of person should be sent to the government and given the punishment he deserves."

The voices of accusation in the inn stopped abruptly, and everyone's eyes were once again focused on the young man.

The young man's expression was soon replaced by a desperate determination.

He straightened up and said loudly: "This purse is mine, why do you say I stole it?"

He knew the excuse was far-fetched, but he had no choice but to stick with it.

The middle-aged man was so angry that his face turned red. He pointed at the young man with his eyes wide open and said, "You are talking nonsense! This is obviously my purse, how can it be yours?"

Ouyang Lian carefully observed the young man's expression.

"You say this purse is yours, but do you have any evidence?"

The young man's eyes flickered and he stammered, "I...I always carry this purse with me."

The middle-aged man was so angry that he was shaking all over. He widened his eyes, pointed at the young man angrily, and accused him loudly: "You thief, you are talking nonsense! You stole my purse and dared to say it was yours. Is there any justice in the world?"

Everyone in the inn also shook their heads, expressing disdain for the young man's behavior.

"This guy is such a scoundrel. He refused to admit it even though he was found out."

"That's right, it's really outrageous to steal something and then cheat on it."

Everyone was discussing the issue, but there seemed to be no better way to solve the problem.

The young man's face turned pale and his eyes showed a trace of panic, but he still pretended to be calm and said, "I'm not cheating. I'm telling the truth. This purse is mine."

Ouyang Lian frowned slightly. He looked at the young man and wondered how to solve this problem.

Xi Yu sat quietly aside, observing all this with great interest. He wanted to see how Ouyang Lian would handle this sticky situation.

Ouyang Lian's eyes revealed a wise light, and he said calmly: "This is easy. Let me first ask you two what your specific occupations are."

The middle-aged man answered without hesitation: "I am a cattle butcher."

The young man seemed a little hesitant. He stammered, "I... I don't have a proper job."

Ouyang Lian nodded slightly and continued, "Now, neither of you are allowed to open your purses. Please write down how much money is in them. Please bring paper and pen."

The middle-aged man immediately nodded in agreement. He confidently picked up a pen and paper and began to carefully recall and write down the amount of money in the purse.

But the young man seemed very flustered, his hands were shaking slightly and he was hesitant to write.

But under the gaze of everyone, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and write on the paper.

After a while, everyone's eyes were fixed on the two answers.

When Ouyang Lian asked people to pour out the money in the purse and check it one by one, the scene was silent.

But both of them answered incorrectly.

A look of joy appeared on the young man's face, as if he felt he had grasped a life-saving straw.

There was a glint of pride in his eyes, and he thought that now no one could easily identify him as a thief.

Ouyang Lian frowned slightly, turned to the middle-aged man, and asked seriously: "What's going on?"

The middle-aged man suddenly realized what was going on and said hurriedly, "Oh, I remember that I spent some money to buy something this morning, so the amount in my wallet is wrong."

The young man immediately accused him, "You are talking nonsense! This purse is not yours at all."

The middle-aged man was not to be outdone and retorted: "You didn't answer either, right? Why do you say it's not mine?"

The young man had a look of disdain on his face.

He crossed his arms over his chest and said with contempt, "I never count the money I spend, and I usually don't remember it, so what's so strange about not being able to remember it?"

There was a hint of provocation in his eyes, as if he was declaring his innocence to everyone.

The middle-aged man was so angry that his face turned red. He pointed at the young man and said loudly: "You are clearly quibbling! Who would not remember how much money is in his purse? You stole my purse."

While everyone was arguing, Ouyang Lian suddenly said, "Shopkeeper, bring a basin of water."

Although the shopkeeper was full of doubts and didn't know what Ouyang Lian meant by this, he quickly told his waiter to bring a basin of water and did as he was told.

After a while, a basin of clean water was placed in front of everyone.

Ouyang Lian asked people to put the currency into the water. Everyone looked at each other, not understanding what he was going to do.

The young man showed a hint of nervousness on his face, while the middle-aged man looked confused.

Ouyang Lian looked at the curious expressions of the crowd, smiled slightly, and said, "Don't worry, I will explain it to you later."

Xi Yu also looked at the basin of water with great interest, and he already understood Ouyang Lian's intention.

Time passed by minute by minute, and everyone waited anxiously.

Ouyang Lian stared at the basin of water.

After a while, he nodded as if very satisfied, and then asked someone to take the currency out of the water.

Then he called over a few onlookers and asked them to take a closer look at the currencies.

Then, Ouyang Lian asked, "Did you see any changes in the water?"

Everyone came closer to observe, with puzzled expressions on their faces.

Some people shook their heads, indicating that they did not notice anything unusual; others frowned, thinking hard. (End of this chapter)