Сhарtеr 157: Аnоmaly
Shеn Du роssеssеd formidable mаrtiаl arts skills, and Сhen Huо'е wаs nо оrdinаry individual еither, yet she ultimatelу рrovеd slightly infеriоr. Аftеr eхсhаnging а fеw movеs, she was unfortunаtеly injurеd by Shen Du.
Reаlizing she was nо match fоr Shеn Du, Сhеn Нuо'е threw a smоkе bomb аnd turnеd tо fleе.
Bу thе time Shen Du еmеrged frоm the smoke, shе had alreаdу vаnished withоut a tracе.
Shеn Du's еyеs glеаmеd with соld intent, thе vеins on his hаnd gripрing the sword bulging. Нe wаs dеtеrmined tо unсоvеr the truth behind the сase from yeаrs ago and сlear his fаther's nаmе!
In the рrison, Zhu Yan and Qi Yeyun seemed not to have fully processed what had happened. The scene before them was simply too bizarre—how could a person transform into a moth and fly away?
Qi Yeyun, having lived this long, was witnessing such a thing for the first time, his mouth agape wide enough to fit an egg.
Zhu Yan was the first to regain her composure. She closed Qi Yeyun's mouth, carefully thought through the events, and then asked, "Was there anything unusual before this happened?"
Qi Yeyun shook his head. "Nothing else out of the ordinary. However, before he turned into a cocoon, I wasn't aware of this matter either. It was Madam Tang who reminded me, so I hurried over to check and saw this scene."
"Madam Tang," Zhu Yan murmured to herself. This matter involved her once again.
Suddenly, her heart sank as if she had thought of something. She quickly turned to visit Madam Tang.
Only upon seeing Madam Tang did Zhu Yan feel something was amiss. From the occurrence of the incident until now, it felt as though someone had orchestrated it all along.
Everything seemed to be guiding her, leading her to discover all this. But what was the purpose behind deliberately arranging all this? Zhu Yan couldn't figure it out.
She turned to look at Qi Yeyun, who stood not far behind her, and suddenly felt that the Qi Yeyun before her seemed somewhat unfamiliar. This child appeared different from before.
There seemed to be something missing in his eyes, and recently, his visits to Madam Tang had become rather frequent.
He used to trust her words implicitly, but lately, he had repeatedly gone against her wishes, instead appearing to follow Madam Tang's instructions quite obediently.
Zhu Yan couldn't help but find this suspicious.
Shen Du returned to the Shen residence after failing to catch the fugitive. Zhu Yan hurried to meet him. "How did it go? Did you catch her?"
Shen Du shook his head, his eyes dark and heavy. Zhu Yan lowered her gaze; this outcome was within her expectations.
"Did you get a clear look at that person's face? Was it really Chen Huo'e?"
"Yes," Shen Du replied in a deep tone. He hadn't figured out how to explain this to Zhu Yan either.
A person who had been executed, coming back to life—if he hadn't witnessed it with his own eyes, he probably wouldn't have believed it no matter who told him.
"How could this be?" Zhu Yan slumped into a chair.
She had never believed in ghosts or spirits, but something like an executed person returning to life was truly difficult for her to accept.
"It's fine," Shen Du said coldly, as if comforting Zhu Yan. "Whether human or ghost, as long as they are unforgivably evil, I will surely bring them to justice."
"But she's already a dead person. If all this is truly her doing, without finding the mastermind behind it, even the Empress would find it hard to believe."
Shen Du's eyes grew even darker. Zhu Yan's words were not without reason.Seeing Zhu Yan's furrowed brows, Shen Du felt a strange sensation in his heart. This woman was immersed in cases every day, as if she had never truly been herself and had never experienced happiness.
Shen Du took a deep breath. Seeing that it was mealtime and that this woman had no intention of cooking, he thought it would be better to take her out for a meal instead.
"Come, I'll take you somewhere," Shen Du said, not bothering to ask if Zhu Yan was willing, and simply grabbed her wrist to lead her out.
Zhu Yan was full of confusion and was about to ask when she ran into someone at the door.
"Where are you two going?" Yun Que stared at them with curiosity.
Shen Du seemed somewhat annoyed by her but couldn't bring himself to refuse outright. He replied coldly, "To eat."
He thought his icy attitude would make Yun Que back off, but to his surprise, when she learned they were going to eat, her expression brightened even more. "Great! I haven't eaten either. Let's go together."
Shen Du's face darkened. Since she had already spoken up, he, as a man, couldn't refuse, so he brought Yun Que along.
The group had originally planned to go to Taibai Tower again, but on the way, they unexpectedly ran into Rong Zhui from the Bright Hall.
Zhu Yan and Shen Du were old acquaintances with her and had sympathized with her several times during Kuang Zhanxin's case.
After this encounter, it was only natural to exchange a few pleasantries.
"Well, isn't this the Great Pavilion Commander? How leisurely to bring your wife out for a stroll?"
Shen Du nodded slightly without saying much, but Rong Zhui then noticed Yun Que behind them.
Yun Que looked innocent, glancing around as if very interested in the surroundings. With her sweet appearance and sparkling, captivating eyes, she was quite adorable.
Looking at Yun Que, Rong Zhui seemed to misunderstand something and teased Shen Du, "The Great Pavilion Commander is truly fortunate. Every wife he finds is so beautiful, though it's only natural. With someone as handsome and distinguished as the Great Pavilion Commander, it's only fitting to have several wives to attend to you."
Yun Que was completely unfazed by Rong Zhui's words, as if they were simply stating facts. What surprised Shen Du was that even though Rong Zhui had spoken so directly, Zhu Yan still stood there like nothing was wrong, unmoved. Could it be that this woman didn't know how to protect what was hers at all?
Shen Du was somewhat angered by Zhu Yan's composure. With a stern face, he ordered Jing Lin behind him, "Take Miss Yun Que back. I have matters to discuss with my wife."
"Yes," Jing Lin naturally understood Shen Du's meaning. After responding, he led Yun Que away.
"Hey, I'm not leaving. I haven't eaten yet!"
Yun Que was full of confusion, but Jing Lin gave her no chance to argue, simply carrying her away.
Only now did Zhu Yan seem to grasp the situation. Her facial muscles twitched as she looked at Shen Du in confusion. "What's going on? Why did you send her away?"
Shen Du was completely stunned. This woman was truly a blockhead when it came to matters of the heart—no, more like a rotten log.
"Let's go," he said, too lazy to explain so much to Zhu Yan, and simply led her away.
When they arrived at Taibai Tower, even after the food was served, Zhu Yan still didn't understand why Shen Du was angry.
If he didn't want to bring Yun Que along, he could have simply refused back at the residence. Since he had brought her out, why send her back halfway?
Was it a snapped heartstring? Or a missing brain cell?Zhu Yan didn't dare to ask directly, and judging by Shen Du's current expression, even one more question might bring trouble upon herself.
To ease the tension, she steered the conversation toward the case.
"Have you noticed that there's something unusual about the relationship between Lai Luozhi and Chen Huo'e?"
OpenNovel