Сhарter 184: June Рlum Вlоssоms
Тhe next dау, Shen Du cаme to thе Мinistrу оf Justiсе to borrоw Zhu Yan because somеоne hаd jumpеd intо thе mоat.
Тhе third dау, Shеn Du cаme to the Мinistrу of Justiсe to borrоw Zhu Yan beсause аn оffiсiаl wаs саught frequenting рrоstitutes.
Тhе fоurth daу...
Soоn, еveryоnе in the Мinistry of Justicе understood thе situаtiоn and оpened thе dооrs wide fоr Shеn Du, реrsuаding Zhu Yаn to сhаnge hеr mind and listing аll of Shen Du’s vаrious mеrits аnd strеngths. This lеft Zhu Yаn sреechless with nо way to refute.
In shоrt, they werе all advоcаting rеcоnciliation rather than separation.
But the real reason was that the people in the Ministry of Justice never wanted to see Shen Du, that King of Hell, again.
Zhu Yan sighed repeatedly.
“What case is so difficult?” Lu Chuichui arrived at the Department of Justice and saw Zhu Yan sitting by the stone table in the pavilion, holding a case file but looking troubled. Thinking she had encountered a difficult case, Lu Chuichui snatched the file to look at it. It was just a small case that had been cleared up months ago. She wondered, “Are there still unresolved issues in this?”
Zhu Yan shook her head, propping her cheek with one hand and looking listless. “Everything’s been cleared up.”
“Then why are you like this?” Lu Chuichui sat on the stone table, full of confusion, then suddenly realized:
“Are you still angry with the Great Pavilion Commander?”
If only that were the case. But now she couldn’t figure out what Shen Du was planning that required him to come find her every day. Yet when he did find her, he didn’t let her do anything—just shopping, eating, and arresting officials who had already been set up to commit crimes.
She strongly suspected that Shen Du had changed his mind and wanted to continue using her as his weakness to deal with Lai Luozhi.
Her life was as good as over.
Zhu Yan covered her head and ears, not wanting to mention Shen Du, so she changed the subject: “Why are you here?”
“I almost forgot!” Lu Chuichui, remembering her purpose, happily jumped off the stone table and grabbed Zhu Yan’s shoulder. “There’s a performance by extraordinary talents at Hibiscus Garden later. I heard it’s a magical show no one has ever seen before. I don’t know how they dare to make such bold claims. Come with me to see it!”
As she spoke, Lu Chuichui pulled Zhu Yan along. By the time she finished speaking, they had already reached the front courtyard. Zhu Yan, wanting to clear her mind, went along with her.
Remembering that Zhu Caiwei was newly married and inseparable from her husband, and that her fourth sister Zhu Manshu had no one to accompany her, Zhu Yan detoured to the Zhu residence to pick up Zhu Manshu.
The performance venue was set up in an open space in the West Market. By the time the three arrived, it was already packed. Lu Chuichui had anticipated this and had long reserved a private room in a nearby tavern. However, the short distance from the outskirts to the tavern was still tightly blocked by the crowd, so she had to pull Zhu Yan and the others through.
Lu Chuichui used all her strength but couldn’t advance further. The three of them were squeezed almost out of shape.
Suddenly, a brown narrow-sleeved arm stretched out in front of Lu Chuichui. With a forceful push, the people ahead were shoved forward, creating a small gap. Lu Chuichui looked up in surprise and met Jiang Langxing’s eyes. Jiang Langxing smiled and said, “Didn’t you come to see the excitement? Why aren’t you moving?”
During festivals or large-scale events, all parts of the capital had to be on high alert to prevent anyone from taking advantage of the chaos to cause trouble. Whether it was petty theft or major incidents threatening the capital’s safety, everyone remained vigilant.
As an Unrighteous Agent, Jiang Langxing naturally had to be on strict guard during such times.
Lu Chuichui looked at his casual clothes and asked in confusion, “Why are you here?”
“Not just me, the boss is here too.” Jiang Langxing tilted his chin backward. Lu Chuichui followed his gaze and saw Xu Xiangren talking to Zhu Yan, with Yun Que following beside him.With Jiang Langxing and Xu Xiangren clearing the way, the group smoothly made their way up to the tavern, chatting idly as they waited for the performance to begin.
Suddenly, cries of astonishment erupted from both upstairs and downstairs. The group turned their attention to the stage.
On the stage appeared a man with one half of his face intact, while the other half was pitch black, as if merging with the night itself. Even the rows of lanterns overhead could not illuminate it.
His eyes reflected the bright yellow lanterns, burning like hellfire, especially against the dark half of his face, making the sight particularly eerie.
He extended a skeletal hand and abruptly snapped the neck of another person on stage. The victim instantly lost consciousness and collapsed heavily to the ground.
The audience erupted in uproar, panic-stricken as they scrambled backward, the jostling crowd causing considerable chaos.
"Killing someone in public! How brazen!" Xu Xiangren, accompanied by Jiang Langxing, swiftly turned and rushed downstairs, intending to apprehend the half-human, half-ghost creature on the spot.
"Wait." Zhu Yan pulled Xu Xiangren back and pointed toward the stage.
Following her gesture, Xu Xiangren looked over. Several people had appeared on the eastern and western sides of the stage, each holding up large signs that read: "Mysterious Performance, No Lawbreaking Intended. Please Remain Calm and Await the Miracle."
Below the stage, a few unusual individuals were also explaining the situation. The crowd gradually settled, watching the stage with a mix of skepticism and curiosity.
The half-human, half-ghost creature took the "deceased" person's hand and, in full view of the audience, began tearing into it bite by bite, like a wolf devouring its prey. The sounds of flesh being torn and chewed seemed almost audible. In an instant, blood and flesh flew everywhere, staining his face in a grotesque and terrifying manner. Children wailed loudly, and even timid adults wanted to flee the scene.
Just as panic was at its peak, he rapidly consumed the person, leaving only a pool of blood, scattered bits of flesh, and a pile of bones on the ground. Suddenly, he stood up, raised his bloodied head, spread his arms wide, and shouted loudly, "Arise! Let everything return!"
The crowd, numb with fear, stared blankly at the stage in terror.
No one expected what happened next: a man descended from the sky, his white sleeves fluttering, with flying cranes circling around him like an immortal descending to earth. He was the very man who had just been publicly devoured!
How could he have come back to life after being completely consumed in front of everyone’s eyes?
Before anyone could voice their questions, the red plum blossoms lining the streets suddenly burst into bloom, then drifted down like rain.
A sea of flowers enveloped everyone.
"It’s not the season for plum blossoms to bloom—how could these flowers suddenly appear?"
"How miraculous! A heavenly phenomenon!"
...
The crowd, awakened by this breathtaking "phenomenon," excitedly reached out to catch the falling plum blossoms, their exclamations of wonder lingering in the air.
Zhu Yan extended her hand and caught a gently drifting red plum blossom. She rubbed it between her fingers, sniffed it—it was indeed a real plum blossom. A look of confusion appeared in her eyes as she turned to gaze at the "deceased" man on stage, who was now bowing in thanks. Her bewilderment only deepened.
"Three bowls! Our leader can drink three bowls—Grand Commander Shen, don’t fall behind and admit defeat!"
It was unclear when Shen Du had entered the private room or when he had started drinking with Xu Xiangren. By the time Zhu Yan turned around, the two were already flushed and red-faced from drinking.
Shen Du was always disciplined—when had he ever lost control like this?
"Enough. Stop forcing him to drink, or I’ll be the one stuck taking care of him."
Zhu Yan sensed something was off. She snatched the bowl from Shen Du’s hand, slammed it onto the table, and pulled him forcefully toward the exit.Unexpectedly, Shen Du’s figure swayed slightly, yet it could not conceal the cold, imposing aura that radiated from him. With just a furrowed brow, he evoked the intimidating presence of the White King of Hell, causing the guests peeking from outside the private room to tremble in fear and shrink back, no longer daring to glance in this direction.
He raised his hand and lifted another bowl: “Drink!”
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