Сhарtеr 206: Autoрsу 3
“Тhаt’s nоt it.” Pan Chi quiсklу exрlained, dоing his bеst tо соnсeal thе panic in his eyes. “It’s just thаt in аll my lifе, I’ve nеvеr mеt а womаn sо bоld уеt metiсulous. For a mоmеnt, I cоuldn’t help but admirе her.”
“Hеh…” Zhu Yan lowеrеd hеr gаzе with а fаint smile. She nаturаlly knеw Раn Chi wаs lying. “If уоu don’t want tо sаy it, thеn don’t. Therе’s no need tо usе suсh a flimsу excusе.”
With his liе еxроsеd, Раn Сhi’s faсе flushed rеd, and his hеartbeаt quickеnеd unnаturallу. Sсrаtсhing his neck, he still didn’t vоice the thoughts in his heаrt.
He cоuldn’t very wеll saу right in frоnt of Jing Lin thаt he was captivated by Zhu Yan’s beauty and admired her earnestness.
If Jing Lin passed those words on to Shen Du, how could he ever live it down?
Suddenly, a flash of insight struck Zhu Yan. Back when she was following her master, she had seen him experiment with certain liquids.
Both were transparent liquids, but when mixed together, they would display different colors, achieving unexpected effects.
Could it be that someone had used something like this on a person? To test her idea, she turned a serious gaze toward Jing Lin.
“Fetch some saltwater.”
“Huh?” Jing Lin didn’t immediately grasp Zhu Yan’s meaning, and Zhu Yan frowned. “Didn’t you hear me? I need some saltwater.”
“I’ll go.” To dispel the earlier awkwardness, Pan Chi volunteered and soon returned with a basin of saltwater.
Zhu Yan carefully dabbed the saltwater around the wound of the headless corpse. Sure enough, moments later, unusual characters emerged from the wound.
There was the familiar Fire Moth Mark, along with some densely packed small characters.
“What is this?” Pan Chi was also astonished, leaning in for a closer look.
“The masses laugh at the fire moth for flying into the flame, unaware that as ephemeral mayflies born at dawn and dead by dusk, they never enter the cycle of rebirth, while the fire moth endures the fire, undying, and is reborn anew.”
Pan Chi muttered to himself, his expression growing increasingly somber. He seemed to understand something.
Zhu Yan slowly clenched her fist. She was all too familiar with this phrase, but why did it appear here?
She also seemed to sense something and hurriedly applied saltwater to the other corpse as well.
Characters and the Fire Moth Mark also appeared around Er Laipi’s eyes, along with a detailed list of crimes.
The uncertainty in her heart turned to certainty, and Zhu Yan momentarily lost her composure.
If they wanted to write the crimes, why write them in such a roundabout, invisible way? And if that was the case, why bother killing at all?
But now, one thing could be confirmed: these two cases were related to the two cases in the capital, or rather, to the Chen Fire Moth Faction that Shen Du was investigating.
And Madam Tang, as well as Lai Luozhi and Lai Luofu—they were all connected.
If that were truly the case, could it further indicate that Chen Huo’e’s followers had known all along that they would come here, and everything happening now was merely a performance for their benefit?
The more she thought about it, the more terrifying it became. Despite all they had done, they were still within the other party’s control.
Their mission for this trip had been specially arranged by the Empress. Could it be that even the Empress’s actions were part of their conspiracy?
The more she pondered, the more uneasy she felt, and Zhu Yan’s expression turned pale.Pan Chi seemed to have guessed this as well, looking at Zhu Yan's pale face with deep concern. "Although I haven't been to the capital for a long time, I've still heard a bit about what's been happening there. When the first two cases occurred, were your family members also implicated?"
Zhu Yan was immediately startled, quickly recalling the past.
Seeing Zhu Yan's uneasy expression, Pan Chi realized she might not immediately grasp what he was referring to.
He sighed and continued, "Your third sister and her husband were once kidnapped and even set on fire. That incident caused quite a stir in the capital. I think that was their warning to you."
"What do you mean?" Zhu Yan's voice trembled, as if she already anticipated what Pan Chi was about to say.
"The current case appears to have no connection to those two in the capital, yet we've found similarities. I believe they're trying to tell you indirectly that if you continue investigating and interfering with their plans, your relatives far away in the capital will be in danger."
Upon hearing this, Zhu Yan was completely shaken, even shuddering so violently she nearly stumbled.
Pan Chi's words were not without reason, and this was indeed something highly likely given the other party's methods.
But it was also what Zhu Yan feared most.
Jing Lin, standing nearby, had taken in their conversation, his brow furrowed tightly. He opened his mouth but said nothing.
Pan Chi's analysis was sound, and even if Jing Lin wanted to console Zhu Yan on Shen Du's behalf now, she might not be in a state to listen.
With matters having reached this point, Zhu Yan had no heart left for the investigation. Her expression grim, she turned and left.
Jing Lin did not follow her. Instead, he shot Pan Chi a somewhat reproachful look. "How could you say such things to Madam? Isn't that deliberately making her worry?"
Pan Chi glanced at him dismissively. "With her intelligence, she would have figured this out sooner or later. I merely gave her a slight reminder, so she can be mentally prepared."
"What good is mental preparation? She can't go back now with the case at hand. Are you suggesting she defy the emperor's orders?"
Pan Chi's eyes held profound meaning. "For someone who's followed Shen Du for so long, you certainly don't understand the people around him."
"Spoken as if you understand her."
Pan Chi gave Jing Lin a deeply meaningful look, smiled slightly, and also stood to leave.
Today's discovery had indeed dampened his enthusiasm for the investigation. What worried him most now was whether Zhu Yan would truly be troubled and distressed by this matter.
But at the same time, his interest in the case grew stronger, especially since Zhu Yan was now involved.
The thought of fighting side by side with that woman brought him a wave of pleasure. He decided to take a walk outside, hoping to perhaps discover new clues.
Zhu Yan sat under the pavilion for a long time, until a cool breeze swept over her, raising goosebumps on her skin and bringing her back to her senses.
She loved investigating cases, loved uncovering the truth, but she did not want her family to come to harm, nor did she want those around her to be implicated because of her.
A faint headache began to throb. Zhu Yan rose and returned to her room. No sooner had she lain down on the bed than she heard the sound of the door being pushed open.Shen Du looked somewhat hurried as he quickly approached the bedside. Seeing the woman on the bed looking pale, he asked with concern, "What's wrong? Have you seen a doctor?"
Zhu Yan sat up, rubbed her forehead, and forced a faint smile. "I'm fine. Have you finished handling Lord Mo's matter? You returned so quickly."
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