"Alright..."
"Wang Ye, you're so good..."
Hearing this word "good," Xiao Jin Yu suddenly remembered something he had completely forgotten last night.
Xiao Jin Yu retrieved a small object from beneath the pillow and placed it in Chu Chu's hand. Chu Chu instantly lost all drowsiness, quickly bringing it before her eyes for closer inspection. She discovered it was a small red satin pouch, its appearance very familiar to her - it was exactly like the amulets from the Guanyin Temple nearest her home.
"Wang Ye... did you pray for this?"
Xiao Jin Yu nodded seriously. "I followed exactly what you said before... on my birthday, I went to the nearest Guanyin Temple and recited the Scripture of Peace for one hour..."
Seeing Chu Chu's completely astonished expression, Xiao Jin Yu paused. "Did I remember incorrectly?"
Yes, perfectly correct, but... "Wang Ye, you knelt for a full hour?"
"Mmm... don't worry, I knelt for the complete time..."
If people in the capital knew that Prince An, who never believed in ghosts or gods, had knelt in Guanyin Temple for a full hour while reciting the Scripture of Peace just to obtain a talisman, probably the entire Three Law Divisions would be in an uproar.
Xiao Jin Yu hadn't gone to seek the talisman because he had started believing in deities and Buddhas, but simply because he remembered this matter was very important to her. Since it remained within his capabilities, he absolutely had to fulfill it for her.
Chu Chu hurriedly threw off the covers, only then noticing Xiao Jin Yu's red and swollen knees, with bruised redness covering the front of his calves.
She hadn't noticed at all last night.
Chu Chu tenderly stroked the glaring bruises, her heart aching. "Does it hurt?"
Xiao Jin Yu gently shook his head, allowing her to continue her gentle caresses.
"Wang Ye, I will definitely be even better to you."
Xiao Jin Yu offered a faint, bitter smile. "I'm not that good... There's one thing I promised you that I can't do anymore."
Chu Chu froze, lifting her head. "Which one?"
She remembered every promise he had made to her, because each one was very important to her.
Xiao Jin Yu hesitated before speaking. "I can't bring Mr. Dong back... he's dead."
Chu Chu's hand froze on Xiao Jin Yu's numb legs, yet Xiao Jin Yu seemed able to feel the faint trembling transmitted from his legs. He couldn't help but pull her into his embrace. "I'm sorry, I arrived too late..."
That soft, warm body remained rigid in his embrace for quite some time before a voice tinged with faint sobs emerged from within his arms. "Then... how did he die?"
"Tortured to death by Qin Langzhong... I saw his body in the cellar, already dismembered..."
"Mr. Dong was a good person..."
"Mmm, I know... He wanted to expose Qin Langzhong's crimes, that's why Qin Langzhong killed him."
"He was truly remarkable... as amazing as a Divine Detective!"
Xiao Jin Yu slightly furrowed his brow, stroking Chu Chu's hair. "Chu Chu, I must tell you... in this world, there is no Six Doors, nor are there Nine Great Arresters..." Feeling the person in his arms stiffen again, Xiao Jin Yu quickly added, "However, all those stories Mr. Dong told were true..."
Chu Chu looked up bewildered, gazing at Xiao Jin Yu through a thin layer of tears.
"...It's just that those stories were all about cases handled by several officials under Prince An Manor... and cases I handled myself."
Chu Chu stared blankly at Xiao Jin Yu for a long while, before finally cupping his face with both hands. "I knew it, I just knew it! You really are the leader of Six Doors, the Jade-Faced Judge! I've found it... I've found Six Doors!"Xiao Jin Yu sighed silently, holding tighter this suddenly laughing and dancing girl who had just been in tears. What he had said earlier didn’t seem to mean that, did it...
“What you said… is also right.”
Chu Chu was so overjoyed she could almost cry. She looked at Xiao Jin Yu again and again, touched him over and over, as if he were a treasure she had long coveted and finally obtained.
“Wang Ye, you’re so good… so good!” Chu Chu hugged Xiao Jin Yu tightly, as if afraid someone might snatch him away. “I’ll burn incense for Mr. Dong every year and thank him properly! If it weren’t for him, I’d never have found you…”
“Hmm… include my share.”
“Okay!”
Chu Chu truly wished she could stay nestled in Xiao Jin Yu’s embrace forever, but in the end, she couldn’t ignore her hunger. She hadn’t eaten anything since noon the previous day. Xiao Jin Yu, feeling unwell from drinking too much and unusually drowsy from taking the Mind-Calming Powder the night before, intended to sleep a while longer. Before he could close his eyes again, he saw Chu Chu casually tying up her hair in front of the dressing mirror. Xiao Jin Yu called her to the bedside.
“What is it?”
Xiao Jin Yu sat up, had Chu Chu sit with her back to him, and loosened her hair. Gathering it with his hands, he styled it into a more intricate updo. Instantly, the young girl took on a hint of a young married woman’s charm.
“Wang Ye, you know how to style a woman’s hair too?”
“Learned in secret…” Xiao Jin Yu smiled faintly. “I’ve always wanted to try it on you. Finally, I get to see how it looks… truly beautiful.”
“Then I’ll always wear it like this from now on!”
“Okay…”
As soon as Chu Chu left, before Xiao Jin Yu could lie back down, the window opened and Jing Yi landed steadily inside, a meaningful smirk playing on his lips.
Xiao Jin Yu couldn’t even be bothered to glare at him.
Jing Yi confessed without being asked, “I wasn’t on the roof beam—I was listening from outside the window.”
Last night…
Jing Yi caught the glare Xiao Jin Yu shot him and immediately put on a deeply aggrieved expression. “It’s not that I wanted to listen! Everyone at Prince An Manor wants firsthand news, detailed, authentic, and reliable. If I’m not thorough, I might as well forget about returning to the capital!”
Everyone at Prince An Manor…
Xiao Jin Yu’s face flushed, then paled, then turned dark with anger.
Of all the things he could have built, why did he have to create such an efficient and rapid information network for these rascals…
Before Xiao Jin Yu could speak, Jing Yi quickly tried to save himself. “Xiao Jue wants to see you.”
Xiao Jin Yu indeed paused slightly, then regained his usual calm. “What for?”
“If he had business, he wouldn’t tell me…”
“Where?”
“At the pier closest to his home.”
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