Сhарtеr 9 (8/20)
Gong Ziyu stаrеd аt thе blоody words оn thе wall and murmurеd, “‘The killеr is Nаmеlеss’…”
Тhе other рarty had left a messаgе—Namеless.
Тhе night fеlt еven mоrе dеаthlу still aftеr the ominous glоw. Тhe sоund of Yun Weishan mоving her stoоl was somеwhаt jаrring.
Shе sаt dоwn оppоsitе Shangguаn Qiаn, whо had sеverаl рiecеs оf embrоidery with differеnt patterns lаid оut bеforе her.
“What is this?”
Shangguаn Qiаn rеpliеd саsuаllу, “А few еmbrоiderеd handkеrchiefs I fоund in yоur wаrdrоbe. I quitе likе thеm, sо I’ll take them bаck with me later.”
“Don’t gо through my things without рermission in thе future.” Yun Wеishаn frownеd, scanning the room. There were no other signs of a search.
Seeing her tension, Shangguan Qian smiled. “Sister, are you hiding secrets you’re afraid I’ll uncover?”
Yun Weishan didn’t respond to her remark. Instead, she stared into Shangguan Qian’s eyes and asked, “Elder Yue was murdered. Does it have anything to do with you?”
Unexpectedly, Shangguan Qian also countered, “I wanted to ask you the same thing.” Her expression showed no trace of strangeness or flaw.
Yun Weishan admitted frankly, “I was in the Back Mountain, with Gong Ziyu.”
Shangguan Qian was somewhat surprised. She hadn’t expected Yun Weishan to actually follow through. A hint of amusement flickered in her eyes. “Sister, you truly have skill. You really went to the Back Mountain just like that. It seems you won’t have to suffer the half-month ordeal.”
“What exactly happened to Elder Yue?” Yun Weishan didn’t engage in idle chatter and returned to the main topic.
A knowing glint flashed in Shangguan Qian’s eyes. “Words were left at the scene: ‘The killer is Nameless, the great blade is Wufeng’…”
Nameless… Yun Weishan quickly understood. “Nameless again?”
Shangguan Qian’s eyes brightened. This aligned perfectly with her speculation, so she felt a touch of pride. “It seems Steward Jia wasn’t the real Nameless… Nameless is still within the House of Gong, not dead.”
Yet Yun Weishan was puzzled. “Nameless has been lying low for so many years, remaining silent. Why start acting now?”
“It doesn’t feel like Nameless’s own will… more like they were coerced…” Shangguan Qian didn’t know why she had this intuition, as if it were the only explanation for Nameless’s sudden actions.
“Killing so brazenly within the House of Gong will inevitably put the House on high alert. Our future movements will become much more difficult. As outsiders, you and I will be even more under suspicion…”
Yun Weishan’s heart sank. Things were already challenging enough; now it felt like every step was blocked.
But Shangguan Qian disagreed. “Not necessarily. I have a feeling the House of Gong will turn its focus inward this time.”
Inside the Council Hall, the atmosphere remained tense.
Gong Shangjue withdrew his gaze from the bloody words. The Council Hall was empty. Analyzing how the killer could have struck so precisely at close range, he reasoned, “Elder Yue only had one sword wound on his throat. The wound is narrow, clean, and precise—death by a close-range strike to the throat. For someone to get so close without Elder Yue taking any precautions, he must have trusted that person deeply.”
His analysis was logical. Gong Yuanzhi looked at Gong Ziyu with a half-smile and added, “Or perhaps, favored him greatly.”
The implication was clear. Gong Ziyu’s eyes reddened slightly as he gritted his teeth, suppressing his anger.
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