Сhарter 88: Taking оn а Little Aрprentiсе
Аftеr thе imрerial рhysician finished treating Zhu Yаn’s wоund and wаs abоut tо lеаve, Zhu Yаn quiсklу саlled оut, “Wait, this child was hеld bу Mаdam Tang fоr so long just nоw. He must hаvе bееn frightеnеd tоo. Why nоt еxаminе him whilе yоu’re hеrе?”
“No neеd, I’m finе,” Qi Yeуun hurriedly said. “Мaster’s injury is whаt mаttеrs. I’ll aсcompаnу thе phуsiсiаn tо fеtсh the mеdiсine.”
Withоut waiting fоr Zhu Yan to rеfuse, Qi Yеуun рulled thе рhуsiсian awaу.
Watching Qi Yeyun’s wholеhearted dеvotion, Zhu Yаn felt uttеrlу helрless.
“Give you an inch, and you take a mile. You really don’t know your own limits,” Shen Du mocked, though his gaze was fixed elsewhere.
Zhu Yan glanced at him. “You just can’t stand to see me doing well. Seeing me with an admirer, are you jealous?”
“Jealous of you?” Shen Du retorted, then shifted his gaze to her injured hand. “Utter nonsense. It was so dangerous just now, yet you rushed forward without a care. Do you really value your life so little?”
Zhu Yan shrugged, as if it didn’t matter. “If I died, wouldn’t that suit you just fine? It’d save you the trouble of doing it yourself. But you—I don’t know what came over you just now. Knowing I was in grave danger, you still threw yourself in to save me. Hah… do you want me to thank you?”
Shen Du’s expression darkened severely. Though he knew Zhu Yan was joking with him, her dismissive attitude toward her own life left him deeply dissatisfied.
“Nonsense.”
With those four words, Shen Du ignored Zhu Yan and turned to leave.
Not long after Shen Du left, Qi Yeyun returned with a packet of medicine. “Master, the medicine is ready. Let’s go back.”
“Little Qi,” Zhu Yan said with some helplessness. “What I said earlier was just a joke. Don’t keep calling me ‘Master.’ I feel guilty and unworthy.”
Hearing this, the excitement on Qi Yeyun’s face instantly faded, replaced by a look of confusion. “Does Master not want me anymore? I just became your disciple. Did I do something wrong?”
“No, you didn’t do anything wrong,” Zhu Yan explained, full of remorse. “With so many people present earlier, I spoke out of frustration. I just feel my abilities aren’t sufficient to be your master.”
“Master,” Qi Yeyun thudded to his knees. “Even if Master was joking, I took it seriously. In this lifetime, I, Qi Yeyun, recognize only you as my master. I will never betray you. Please grant me this.”
With that, Qi Yeyun began kowtowing to Zhu Yan, his head thumping against the ground.
“No, no, you mustn’t!”
Zhu Yan quickly helped Qi Yeyun up. Even if she were his master, she couldn’t accept such a grand gesture.
She feared it would shorten her lifespan.
“If Master doesn’t agree, I won’t get up,” Qi Yeyun vowed, looking earnestly at Zhu Yan.
Zhu Yan was at a loss, but seeing the child’s stubborn temperament, she could only nod and say, “Alright, I’ll take you as my disciple, but don’t call me ‘Master.’ Call me ‘Sister’ instead. ‘Master’… sounds old.”
As she spoke, she recalled her own master, Chen Wen, who was already in his sixties. Only someone of that age truly deserved to be called “Master.”
“Mm,” Qi Yeyun nodded emphatically. No matter what, he was overjoyed that Zhu Yan had agreed to take him in.
By the time they returned to the Shen residence, it was already evening.
The murder case was finally solved, and Chang’an City had regained its former bustle.Today was another day of breaking the fast, and even at night, the streets of Chang'an were brightly lit, with crowds flowing endlessly.
As soon as she stepped through the gates of the Shen residence, the steward hurriedly reported that the Great Pavilion Commander had been waiting in the study for a long time and urged her to go quickly.
Zhu Yan was puzzled. The murder case had already been solved—what could have made him so anxious?
Arriving at the study, she saw Shen Du standing by the window, his brow tightly furrowed, silent.
His deep eyes gazed out the window as if pondering something.
At that moment, Zhu Yan’s mind buzzed, and she suddenly seemed to realize something.
"This case…" Zhu Yan murmured to herself. Only now did she remember that there seemed to be something amiss about this case.
Hearing her voice, Shen Du turned to look at her. "You’re here. The murderer has been caught, but…"
"But in this entire case, it seems we’ve overlooked something…" Zhu Yan cut in, finishing Shen Du’s sentence. "What exactly have we overlooked?"
The depth in Shen Du’s eyes grew even more intense. He wasn’t the only one who felt something was off about this case.
"Hearts!"
"Human hearts!"
They spoke in unison, staring at each other, their eyes unusually bright.
"That’s right," Zhu Yan quickly said. "Madam Tang killed so many people, and all the victims had their hearts removed. Where did those hearts go?"
Shen Du said nothing more and turned to leave. Zhu Yan hurriedly followed, knowing that Shen Du already had an idea.
Zhu Yan and Jing Lin followed Shen Du as he led a group to the gates of the Tang residence. They were going to search the Tang residence at night.
"Search."
At Shen Du’s command, the brothers from the Inner Guard Bureau swarmed in.
Zhu Yan waited anxiously at the entrance, a faint unease growing in her heart.
During Madam Tang’s interrogation, she had confessed to everything except the whereabouts of those hearts. Could it be…?
"Great Pavilion Commander."
Soon, Jing Lin emerged from the Tang residence.
"Nothing."
Jing Lin shook his head, confirming Zhu Yan’s suspicions.
The entire Tang residence had been turned upside down, but no trace of any human hearts was found.
Where had those hearts gone?
The case seemed to be resolved, but beneath the surface, it remained shrouded in mystery.
Shen Du and Zhu Yan went to the prison overnight, hoping to get some clues from Madam Tang.
To their surprise, Madam Tang had gone mad.
"Madam Tang." Zhu Yan banged on the cell door, calling out to the dazed Madam Tang inside. "Stop pretending to be crazy. I have something important to ask you."
Madam Tang remained unmoved, her eyes vacant, alternating between crying and laughing, muttering something under her breath.
"Wake up!" Zhu Yan grew impatient, pounding on the cell door so hard that the wound on the back of her hand reopened.
Bright red blood instantly soaked through the bandage. Shen Du quickly grabbed her wrist. "Enough, don’t hurt yourself. She’s already gone mad."
"She’s the most important witness. How could she just go mad like this?" Zhu Yan found it hard to accept.
When she looked at Madam Tang again, Madam Tang miraculously turned her gaze toward her.
"Moths to the flame, born at dawn and dead by dusk… hehe."
Madam Tang laughed foolishly. "I will never die. I will become a fire moth and live forever, hehe…"
"You killed so many people. Where did you put all those hearts?"
Zhu Yan pressed urgently, but Madam Tang stood up and began tossing straw around the cell.
"Fly away, fly away…"She hadn't taken Zhu Yan's words to heart at all, instead instinctively amusing herself with what she found entertaining.
"Tang Cèrán!"
Zhu Yan grew anxious and angrily shouted Madam Tang's name, "Tell me, where have you put your conscience?"
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