Chарtеr 214: Intеrсepted Мidwаy
Thеy currеntlу hаd nо lеаds on the Нalf-Faced Ghost. Thе оnly susрeсt in thе hеаdless соrрsе сasе had been killеd, сomрletely undоing all their рrevious еffоrts.
Аt thе sаmе timе, they grеw еven mоrе сurious аbout thе idеntity of this Наlf-Faсed Ghost. It was аs if he had aрреarеd out of thin air аnd vаnishеd just as mуstеriоuslу, uttеrlу baffling.
"Тhеre аre nо ghosts or dеities in this wоrld. Еvеn if therе wеrе, thеy would be рroducts of the human mind. If sоmeone сlaims to hаve sееn onе, it must be an illusion. They absolutely cannot truly exist," Pan Chi suddenly uttered these words, seemingly out of nowhere, yet they sparked a flash of insight in Shen Du and Zhu Yan beside him.
"Chen Huo'e!"
"Lai Luofu!"
The two spoke in unison. Though they uttered two different names, they were referring to the same person.
Pan Chi also seemed to have realized something, slapping the table abruptly. "Right! How could I have forgotten about her?"
Immediately, Zhu Yan sank into deep thought again, her brows furrowed tightly. "If that's the case, after being protected by Lai Luozhi, she couldn't wait to come to Yingzhou to commit crimes? But our journey to Gannan Circuit was personally ordered by the Empress. Isn't this openly challenging us?"
Zhu Yan's words carried profound implications. Shen Du remained silent, as if pondering something.
"Let's call it a day here. Everyone must be exhausted after staying up all night. Go back and rest early, regain your energy before discussing the case further."
Pan Chi suddenly stood up and walked out, then cast a meaningful glance at Shen Du before leaving.
Seeing Pan Chi depart, Zhu Yan felt deeply puzzled. Just when they were about to get a lead on the killer, how could he just leave like that?
Shen Du still wore a dark expression and said nothing. Only then did Zhu Yan seem to understand something.
Both cases were related to the Lai faction. Investigating further would likely only add a few more innocent lives to the toll rather than capture the real culprit.
Finding scapegoats was their usual practice. Human life was treated so frivolously in their eyes, truly chilling.
Zhu Yan couldn't think of any words to comfort Shen Du, so she stood up, preparing to return to her room.
But she had only taken a few steps when Shen Du suddenly called out to her.
"Where are you going?"
Zhu Yan shrugged, feigning nonchalance. "Of course, back to my room to rest. What else can I do? I haven't slept all night and I'm completely exhausted. Aren't you tired?"
Only after Zhu Yan's reminder did Shen Du rub his forehead. He also felt a slight headache, but had completely overlooked it while thinking about the case earlier.
"Let's go, rest together for a while."
Without waiting for Zhu Yan to react, he took her hand and led her out of the back hall.
After resting all morning, they finally regained some strength.
After lunch, Zhu Yan and Shen Du went together to walk the streets and make inquiries, hoping to stumble upon unexpected clues.
But they hadn't gone far when they suddenly encountered a group of people who seemed to be deliberately trying to attract their attention, arguing loudly up ahead.
As the two drew closer, the arguing grew louder. Just as they were about to pass by the group, the people suddenly started fighting, pushing one of their own out directly to block Shen Du and Zhu Yan's path.
That person stumbled and fell to the ground unexpectedly. Seeing Shen Du and Zhu Yan, he immediately clung to Shen Du's leg and began wailing, "Your Honor, you must uphold justice for me! These people are unreasonable, bullying me!"Zhu Yan's lips twitched as she watched the scene before her, feeling extremely awkward.
Shen Du’s face was also dark with anger, and he wished he could kick the person at his feet away. But as more and more onlookers gathered, Shen Du forcibly suppressed his inner rage and said, "We have important matters to attend to and no time to waste here with you. Let go of me now."
Shen Du’s threat didn’t have much effect. The person on the ground continued to cry and shout stubbornly, "Even if you don’t want to get involved, you must at least hear my case, sir! I can’t just let them bully me like this."
"If you’ve encountered such a matter, you should go to the magistrate’s office. Magistrate Mo will surely handle it for you. What’s the point of stopping us on the road?"
Zhu Yan also voiced her confusion with a questioning tone.
At that moment, the person on the ground suddenly seemed to realize something, his expression brightening with understanding. "That’s right, I could just go directly to the magistrate’s office and ask Magistrate Mo to handle this. Why did I stop you?"
Hearing this, everyone present was left speechless, their jaws practically dropping to the ground. Was this person’s mind not quite right?
Just as Shen Du was about to lose his temper, he suddenly raised his eyes and spotted a familiar figure hurrying past in the distance.
Zhu Yan noticed it too. That person was none other than Ji Dafu.
At that moment, he was not only walking hurriedly but also clutching a bundle tightly in his arms, as if hiding something.
"Stop right there!" Zhu Yan shouted coldly and rushed out of the crowd. Shen Du, forgetting his anger for the moment, quickly followed.
Shen Du overtook Zhu Yan in just a few strides. Just as Zhu Yan was about to call out to him, the group that had been arguing earlier suddenly blocked her path. "Sir, please wait! We’d like to ask for directions to the magistrate’s office."
Zhu Yan was about to point the way when she suddenly felt something was off. This group didn’t even know where the magistrate’s office was, yet they recognized her and addressed her as "sir."
Her eyes darkened, but she said nothing. At that moment, something resembling a token fell from one of the men.
Zhu Yan looked over and was surprised to find that the token that had fallen from this person was strikingly similar to the one Xu Xiangren had given her.
Meanwhile, Ji Dafu hadn’t managed to get far before Shen Du caught up with him.
"Why are you in such a hurry? Where are you going?" Shen Du questioned coldly, and Ji Dafu’s expression grew even more flustered.
"N-no reason. I just came out to take care of some business, and now I’m heading home."
"Is that so?" Shen Du glanced at the bundle in Ji Dafu’s arms and asked, "What’s in that bundle?"
"N-nothing, just some of my personal belongings." As he spoke, Ji Dafu glanced around nervously, then stepped closer and lowered his voice. "To be honest, I actually have something to discuss with you, sir. I never expected to run into you here today. Could we speak in private?"
Shen Du frowned. This person was acting suspiciously and was being unusually proactive. Could there be some kind of scheme?
...
"Who exactly are you?"
Noticing the odd behavior of the people before her, Zhu Yan didn’t continue chasing Ji Dafu. Instead, she fixed her gaze on the group and questioned them.
"We’re just some people from out of town. We have matters to attend to now, so we won’t disturb you any further."
After saying this, the group hurried away, but the direction they took was not the way to the magistrate’s office.The onlookers gradually dispersed, treating the earlier scene as if they had watched a performance, none taking it to heart. Only Zhu Yan felt something was amiss.
The group hadn't gone far before turning into an alley. Without much thought, Zhu Yan hurriedly followed them.
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