Сhаpter 279: Тhе Firе Моth Party 11
Веfore Zhu Yаn could rеасh thе dооr, Shen Du oрened it first, startling Pan Chi.
Не had аlwaуs mаnаgеd to сlimb thrоugh thе windоw suсcеssfully beforе, but this timе, not оnly did he fail, but hе also lоosenеd thе bаndаgе оn his wrist. Нe had bееn squatting undеr thе windоw, rewrаpрing it.
Sеeing Shen Du lооk ovеr, Pan Chi sрrang up, prеssing himsеlf аgainst thе wall like a gесkо.
Shen Du snоrtеd thrоugh his nоsе, turnеd arоund, аnd went bаck insidе, dragging Zhu Yan with him.
In thе end, Раn Сhi walkеd in оn his оwn. Sеeing Shen Du sitting therе expressionlеssly and Zhu Yan lоoking rathеr uncоmfоrtablе, he recalled how Zhu Yan had pushed Shen Du away earlier and suddenly understood. Covering his forehead as if in pain, he exclaimed:
“Shen Du, how could you force yourself on someone?”
Shen Du shot him a sharp glare, but Pan Chi pretended not to notice. He walked over, sat down at the table, poured himself a cup of tea, and muttered something under his breath.
Glancing at him briefly, Shen Du swirled his teacup. “You really don’t hold back, do you?”
“You flatter me. I see you’re not much better yourself. A dignified Great Pavilion Commander of the inner court, yet you…” Pan Chi pointed at Shen Du, looking pained and aggrieved, while his other hand gently patted his chest, feigning distress.
In contrast, Shen Du watched Pan Chi’s performance as if observing a clown, responding with a disdainful sneer.
Pan Chi refused to back down. “Yan’er, come sit here, right here.”
He pointed to the seat beside him, which was opposite Shen Du.
Zhu Yan raised an eyebrow, glancing at Shen Du, then at Pan Chi, and finally at the seat.
“Ah, I think the arrow wound I took for you might be festering. It hurts so much,” Pan Chi said, pounding his chest.
Hearing this, Zhu Yan hurried over, but just as she brushed past Shen Du, he reached out and pulled her down to sit beside him instead.
Seeing this, Pan Chi was furious. “Shen Du, you two are only married in name. How can you force someone like this?”
Shen Du snorted coldly, his eyebrows raised. “Still better than someone who doesn’t even have that.”
How dare he try to steal his woman? Hmph.
That remark was a devastating blow. Pan Chi stomped his foot and complained to Zhu Yan, “Yan’er, look at him. You have to stand up for me.”
This…
Zhu Yan felt goosebumps all over and looked down to see if any had fallen to the floor.
“Enough. You didn’t come here just for tea, did you? If you have something to say, say it. If you have something to do, do it,” Shen Du interrupted him. If Zhu Yan weren’t holding him back, he might not have been able to resist rushing over to hit Pan Chi, regardless of whether he was injured or not.
What kind of grown man acts so coy?
Zhu Yan smiled apologetically. “Do you have any discoveries?”
Sure enough, Pan Chi dropped his playful demeanor and stopped joking around. After all, he had come to discuss serious matters.
“The woman taking care of me…” He took a sip of tea, cleared his throat, and ran the name through his mind. “The top courtesan of the Fragrant Pavilion—Xiuxiu. Over the past few days, I’ve managed to extract some information from her.”
Before he could continue, he heard Shen Du laugh—a scornful laugh.
Already disliking him, this laughter only angered Pan Chi further. “What are you laughing at?”
“Laughing at you selling your looks,” Shen Du said mockingly, eyeing him brazenly.
“I think you’re just jealous because your looks aren’t as pleasing,” Pan Chi retorted with a couple of snorts, tilting his head slightly to strike a haughty pose.Zhu Yan, who had been sitting there without speaking, felt nothing but helplessness. Grown men of seven feet tall were actually discussing appearances here. "I say, is a man's appearance really that important? If it were, how could you still be attacked? People should have surrendered at the sight of your faces long ago."
Shen Du and Pan Chi exchanged a glance, then both turned their heads away.
"Alright, let's get down to business."
Pan Chi was about to speak but first glared at Shen Du to ensure he wouldn’t interrupt.
"Xiuxiu also mentioned to me what Wang Buzui said during his earlier conflict with Mo Qianzhi—about absorbing Qi fortune through killing. The Half-Faced Ghosts slaughtered so many people in the city massacre. According to their beliefs, having faced death and survived, he must be even stronger now."
Pan Chi had a habit of frowning when making deductions, but this time it wasn’t out of habit—his wound was genuinely painful. He glanced at Zhu Yan, deliberately skipping over Shen Du, and continued, "However, Xiuxiu didn’t explain exactly how this absorption of Qi fortune works or how it’s utilized afterward. When she spoke of it, she was quite guarded and terrified. When I asked her why, she said she feared Wang Buzui’s retaliation."
After speaking, Pan Chi sighed, as if lamenting Xiuxiu’s fate. He shook his head slightly and went on, "Xiuxiu is still hiding in her room, too afraid to come out. She occasionally rambles, clearly unsettled, so it’s hard to tell whether what she says is true or false."
With that, he took a deep breath, propped his chin on his hand, and quietly watched Zhu Yan. Seeing her deep in thought, he concealed his discomfort and smiled faintly. "I think this matter is not simple and might help crack the case. That’s why I followed along despite my injuries. Who would have thought, tsk."
He was hinting at having witnessed Shen Du embracing Zhu Yan earlier. Zhu Yan felt slightly embarrassed and didn’t respond, while Shen Du brought up another matter.
"Pan Chi!"
"Hmm?"
"You know that after the headless corpse case, you’re free to leave."
"I know."
Shen Du narrowed his eyes. "This is no place to linger. It’s better to leave as soon as possible."
Zhu Yan was surprised, not expecting Shen Du to speak to Pan Chi like this. Only after pondering did she realize she had overlooked too much.
"That’s right, Pan Chi. None of this in Yingzhou City has anything to do with you. Staying here is too dangerous. You should leave quickly."
Pan Chi smiled bitterly. "Are you two so in sync in urging me to leave because you’re afraid I’ll disturb you?"
Zhu Yan shook her head. "How could that be?" Pan Chi had been helping all along. If not for him, she would be the one severely injured now.
Shen Du stared intently at Pan Chi, his expression unusually serious. "I can write a letter and send it to Commander Pan before any further changes occur, explaining the situation."
Pan Chi shook his head firmly. "Since I’ve encountered this matter, how can I ignore it and only care about my own life? Though I lack the power, status, or imperial mandate that you, Commander Shen, possess, I still have a sense of justice and care for the people. Asking me to leave now—I cannot do it."
Zhu Yan looked up at the sky outside the window. The glow of sunset was obscured by clouds, and the wind heralded an impending storm.
Shen Du withdrew his gaze and said coldly, "As long as you’ve made up your mind."
Pan Chi nodded and said nothing more.Zhu Yan glanced down at the two men and voiced her doubts, "The Xiuxiu you mentioned earlier knew every detail about Liu Zongyuan's crimes beforehand. After being captured and taken to the Guangchun Hall basement, she also seemed quite familiar with the place. And now you say she even knows such secretive matters about the Fire Moth Party—it’s all very suspicious."
This was something Pan Chi had also considered. "Their relationship is undoubtedly close, that much is certain."
"But whether that relationship can be put to use is still unknown," Shen Du interjected, though his tone was noticeably milder this time. Perhaps after hearing Pan Chi’s earlier declaration of unwillingness to leave, Shen Du had begun to feel a sense of mutual respect between them. Who could say?
Zhu Yan looked toward Shen Du, who happened to glance back at her. Without delay, Shen Du stood up and led Zhu Yan away, heading straight for the dungeon where Wang Buzui was held, leaving Pan Chi alone to sip his tea.
Watching the two walk out in perfect sync, with Shen Du naturally taking Zhu Yan’s hand, Pan Chi gritted his teeth and stared at the foam floating in his teacup, unable to shake off a sense of resentment.
He downed the remaining tea in one gulp and slammed the cup loudly onto the table, muttering under his breath, "Hey! Aren’t you going to take care of the patient?"
Unfortunately, the two were already too far away to hear him clearly. Fuming, he pounded the table with his fist and dragged his ailing body to his feet, seething with frustration.
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