Chарtеr 134: Му Disciple Nеvеr Grows Up
Нearing this, Zhu Yаn hеsitаtеd fоr а moment. "Тhen did Master ever invеstigаte furthеr aftеrwаrd?"
"Оf сoursе I did," Сhеn Wеn rеpliеd. "I had my suspiсiоns toо, but after investigаting for a lоng time, I cоuldn’t find еvеn а shrеd оf susрicious еvidеncе, sо I hаd no сhoiсе but to let it gо."
Нeаring Chen Wen sаy this, Zhu Yan alsо fеll intо thought. It sеemed this cаsе wаs just as shе hаd susресtеd—therе wаs morе to it thаn met the еyе.
"Sо mаny уеаrs hаve passеd now. If we were to rеopen аn old cаse likе this, I’m аfraid it wоuldn’t go smoothly. What’s more, many pieces of evidence are already incomplete or missing, which only adds to the difficulty of the investigation."
Zhu Yan nodded. Her master’s words were not wrong, but this case had to be clarified. Otherwise, they would only be able to solve the current case by following the trail of the mastermind behind it, and whoever they caught in the end would merely be a scapegoat.
Zhu Yan’s brows furrowed deeply, her mind a tangled mess.
Just then, footsteps suddenly sounded from outside the door. The two looked toward the sound and saw Shen Du walking in from outside.
Chen Wen quickly got up from the bed and bowed to Shen Du. "The Hall Leader is here. Please, have a seat. My disciple just brought two jars of fine wine. Come, have a drink."
Shen Du gave a slight nod and was about to step forward when another figure hurried in right behind him.
A woman!
Chen Wen was taken aback for a moment, his gaze shifting to Yun Que. "And this is…"
"My name is Yun Que. I’m a friend of the Great Pavilion Commander."
Before Shen Du could explain, Yun Que quickly chimed in. "The Hall Leader’s Wife is here too. What a coincidence."
Hearing this, Zhu Yan’s face darkened considerably. Chen Wen was her master—wasn’t it only natural for her to come visit him?
Coincidence? What coincidence?
It was she and Shen Du who were quite coincidental, meeting up together every time.
Shen Du cast a deep glance at Zhu Yan, as if he had something to say.
But before he could speak, Chen Wen quickly said, "Since you’re a friend, you’re one of us. My humble abode is simple—I hope the young lady won’t mind."
"Not at all, of course not," Yun Que replied without any reservation, promptly sitting down right beside Zhu Yan.
"Hall Leader’s Wife, what brings you here too?" Yun Que blinked, looking at Zhu Yan with an innocent expression.
Seeing her like this, Zhu Yan felt a surge of anger but forced herself to suppress the turmoil inside. She voiced the question on her mind. "And why are you two here?"
"To investigate the case, of course," Yun Que said cheerfully. "Could it be that you, like the Great Pavilion Commander, came here to seek advice?"
Zhu Yan glared at Yun Que and ignored her, then turned her gaze back to Shen Du.
At that moment, she didn’t know how much she regretted it—back then, it was she who had spoken up for this woman to stay at the Shen residence.
And now, not only did this woman show not a trace of gratitude, but she also wanted to stay at the Shen household to keep her company, without even asking whether she was willing.
She really had no sense of boundaries.
Chen Wen and Shen Du also sat down across from them. But as soon as they were seated, Zhu Yan suddenly stood up. "I just remembered there’s something I need to do. I won’t stay any longer."
With that, Zhu Yan hurriedly left.
Shen Du clenched his fist slightly, wanting to go after her, but Chen Wen’s words held him back. "When a woman is in a jealous rage, it’s best not to provoke her or try to explain. Wait until her jealousy subsides, then explain. That’s when she’ll be able to understand."Hearing this, Shen Du seemed to understand something and sat back down, looking at Chen Wen as he said, "You mean she's jealous?"
Chen Wen didn't spell it out, just nodded slightly, took a sip of wine from his cup, and said contentedly, "My disciple is good in every way, but she's too straightforward, a bit narrow-minded, and can't tolerate any flaws... sigh."
Chen Wen's words made Shen Du completely sober up. He lowered his head slightly, the corners of his mouth unconsciously curving upward.
If a woman is jealous, it means she still cares about him.
Zhu Yan hurriedly left, but as soon as she stepped outside, she found Jing Lin and others waiting there.
As soon as Zhu Yan emerged, Jing Lin quickly stepped forward to greet her, "Madam..."
Before he could finish, Zhu Yan, with a dark expression on her face, mounted a fast horse and rode away.
Watching Zhu Yan's rapidly retreating figure, Jing Lin was stunned on the spot. What had happened?
Could it be that they had argued again?
Zhu Yan rode off alone on the fast horse. Besides Yun Que's smiling face, another person came to her mind.
The case was important right now; she absolutely couldn't let her thoughts wander. Zhu Yan forcibly suppressed her inner agitation and focused on rational thinking.
They had overlooked one person in the entire case—the eyewitness who had discovered the body of the retired Chen family member.
He was the first to find the body and must know something. She needed to find him and ask for details.
But to her surprise, as soon as she inquired about the man's home, she found him packing his belongings, preparing to flee.
"Where are you going?" Zhu Yan quickly asked.
The question only made the man more panicked. He mounted the prepared horse, abandoning his things, and fled immediately.
Seeing the man so flustered, Zhu Yan's heart sank. She hurriedly gave chase. If he knew nothing, why would he run?
He must know something!
Determined, Zhu Yan whipped her horse more vigorously, urging it to catch up with the man ahead.
The two maintained a distance that was neither too far nor too close. Zhu Yan didn't lose track of him until they reached a mountain forest, where the man ahead suddenly vanished.
Puzzled, Zhu Yan quickly reined in her horse to stop. After circling the area a few times, she realized the place felt familiar. Wasn't this the road to the Mingsheng Temple?
Confused, Zhu Yan continued riding toward the Mingsheng Temple.
She moved slowly along the way, afraid of missing any clues.
A living person couldn't just disappear without a trace. She hadn't lost him, so how could he suddenly vanish?
When she finally arrived at the entrance of the Mingsheng Temple, she found a horse lingering there—the very horse the man had been riding.
Could he have hidden inside the temple? Zhu Yan quickly dismounted and entered the Mingsheng Temple.
The temple was eerily quiet, with no signs of anyone having broken in.
Zhu Yan began searching but found nothing after looking around. How could this be? How could a person just disappear?
Thinking this, Zhu Yan turned her gaze toward the main hall of the Mingsheng Temple. She had searched everywhere except the hall.
Zhu Yan entered the hall and unexpectedly found a woman with unshorn hair kneeling inside, deeply absorbed in reciting scriptures, unaware of her arrival.
Zhu Yan suddenly felt that this woman had an unusual aura. Though she was a lay practitioner, the aura she exuded was one of lofty superiority.Zhu Yan stepped forward and was surprised to find that the person before her was none other than Princess Runing!
"Princess!" Zhu Yan was taken aback. Although she knew the princess was cultivating here, she hadn’t expected to meet her so easily.
The woman kept her eyes closed, not even glancing at her, and continued reciting scriptures as if she hadn’t heard Zhu Yan’s words.
"Your Highness." Zhu Yan approached and bowed, about to state her purpose, when suddenly a white silk ribbon wrapped around her neck, tightening its grip.
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