Chарtеr 15 (5/15)
“Yоu рrеviоusly suspесtеd Маdam WuJi, and now thаt mу aunt is hanging bу a threаd, shоuldn’t уоu арologizе?” Gong Ziyu pressed relеntlеssly, trуing to оvеrwhеlm Gоng Shangjuе with shееr fоrсe оf presenсе.
Gong Shаngjue remainеd unruffled. “It’s still toо earlу tо ароlоgizе. Shangguan Qiаn mаy nоt bе Nаmelеss.”
Gong Ziуu wаs taken аbаck fоr a moment bеfore eruрting in аngеr. “With both witnеsses and matеriаl еvidenсе sоlidlу in рlаcе, уou still wаnt to shiеld her?”
Eldеr Huа wаvеd his sleеvе, stорping Gong Ziyu, аnd turned to Gong Shangjue. “Shаngjue, do yоu have оther findings?”
“Yеs,” Gоng Shangjuе replied. “Two points puzzle me. First, the bloody message Nameless left on Gong Ziyu’s wall this time was clearly written in haste—the final stroke wasn’t even completed before they departed. From the moment I entered Yu Manor to when I stepped into Madam WuJi’s room, I neither saw any suspicious figures nor heard any unusual sounds. There are very few people in this world who could retreat without a trace right before my eyes. Shangguan Qian’s lightness skill is not that exceptional, so she certainly isn’t the one who wrote the bloody message.”
Seeing him smoothly exonerate Shangguan Qian, Gong Ziyu sneered. “Could the perpetrator have vanished into thin air?”
Gong Shangjue spoke slowly and deliberately. “The person who wrote the bloody message either possesses unparalleled lightness skill… or never left the room at all—”
Hearing this, Gong Ziyu couldn’t hold back. “Utterly absurd! You yourself said only my aunt and you were in the room. Are you implying that you are Nameless?”
Gong Shangjue didn’t respond, but let out a soft, mocking laugh. Gong Ziyu understood the implication and spoke with rising anger. “You still suspect my aunt? This is truly preposterous.”
Elder Yue spoke up then. “Young Master Jue, I would very much like to agree with your conjecture, but I have examined Madam WuJi’s injury. The wound is on her back, and the cut is extremely precise. It must have been inflicted by someone attacking from behind, stabbing her with a single thrust—something she could not possibly have done to herself. Madam WuJi’s wound is very deep yet narrow as a fine line, indicating the assassin used an exceptionally thin and flexible sword, a weapon commonly employed by Wufeng.”
Gong Shangjue said, “That’s incorrect. At the scene, there was only one bloodstained flexible sword, concealed within a belt—and that belt belonged to Madam WuJi.”
Elder Yue asked further, “Isn’t that even stranger? Did Madam WuJi stab herself with her own sword?”
Gong Shangjue replied, “Don’t be hasty, Elder Yue, because the second point of suspicion is even more peculiar.”
“What is it?”
“Everyone should recall that when Elder Yue was assassinated, the Council Hall was neat and orderly, with no signs of disturbance. Given Elder Yue’s strength, the fact that he was killed with a single strike to the throat is enough to demonstrate Nameless’s formidable martial prowess. Yet when the ordinarily skilled Madam WuJi was attacked, her room was left in complete disarray from the struggle. If Shangguan Qian had such difficulty dealing with Madam WuJi, how could she possibly have killed Elder Yue with a single move? Previously, we speculated that whoever could easily approach Elder Yue within the Elders Council must have been someone familiar to him. Shangguan Qian is a new bride who recently entered the House of Gong. How could she freely come and go within the Elders Council? Even if she had a reason to approach Elder Yue, he would not have been completely off guard.”
Silence fell over the hall. Even Gong Ziyu understood that Gong Shangjue’s analysis was reasonable. He couldn’t help but secretly admire his composure and sharpness, realizing that compared to him, he still had much to learn.Elder Hua pondered for a moment and said, "Then why was Shangguan Qian dressed in night clothes and lurking around? Why did she go to Yu Manor?"
Gong Shangjue replied, "It is not clear for now, but we will soon know the answer. I will definitely give the Elders an explanation." He looked at Elder Hua and asked, "However, there is one more thing I am curious about... How did Elder Hua know that the person in black was a woman and that she was injured, thus ordering a search of all the manors?"
Elder Hua hesitated, "Well... it was... it was the Yellow Jade Guard by my side who encountered a suspicious person. During the fight, they judged from the other's voice and figure that it was a woman."
Gong Shangjue smiled and nodded at Elder Hua, saying, "I see."
Elder Yue said, "Since Shangguan Qian has already been thrown into the dungeon, we now await the results of her interrogation."
In the prison cell, Shangguan Qian's hands and feet were locked in shackles. Her head hung low, with a few strands of hair falling down. She had already been tortured, bloodstains seeped through her clothes, and there was still fresh blood at the corner of her mouth.
A pair of familiar boots appeared before her eyes. Shangguan Qian looked up and met Gong Shangjue's gaze. For a moment, both their eyes trembled slightly. This subtle feeling brought Shangguan Qian not comfort, but fear.
What she most wanted to see was Second Master Gong's cold and ruthless gaze—at this moment, Shangguan Qian felt like a piece of ice. Only if Young Master Jue remained icy to the core would she remain intact. Because only if he remained calm at all times could he believe her words.
Gong Shangjue walked to the nearby table, which was covered with blood-stained torture instruments. Under the light, those tools gleamed with a cold, eerie glow. Beside the instruments was a row of delicate wine cups, each containing liquids of different colors.
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