“Princess!” Zhu Yan exclaimed in shock, struggling desperately.
She clutched at the white silk around her neck with one hand while trying to grab the princess’s clothes with the other.
No matter how hard she clawed, she couldn’t grasp the assailant’s garments.
The grip from behind tightened, and Zhu Yan felt herself suffocating. Her pupils dilated as she frantically tugged at the silk around her neck. In her final moments, she managed to gasp two words, “Shen… Shen Du!”
As soon as she spoke, the pressure on her neck suddenly released, and she collapsed to the ground.
Zhu Yan gulped in precious air, bewildered as to why the princess would try to kill her and why she had suddenly let go.
The next moment, she froze in disbelief. There was no princess—only herself and the witness, who lay bleeding profusely on the ground with his heart missing. It appeared as though his heart had just been ripped out, but he wasn’t quite dead yet.
“What happened to you?” Zhu Yan rushed forward. “Who did this?”
She questioned him urgently, hoping to glean any clues about the culprit. But the man’s gaze was fading, and he kept muttering, “Death and rebirth, death and rebirth…”
“Hey! You can’t die!” Zhu Yan panicked as the man’s life ebbed away. “Tell me who the murderer is so I can avenge you. Quickly!”
The witness couldn’t answer Zhu Yan’s question. He closed his eyes and stopped breathing.
Zhu Yan was stunned…
Just when she had found someone with a potential lead, they were killed. This plunged her deeper into the quagmire, especially since the murder happened right before her eyes. It was truly infuriating.
As Zhu Yan bowed her head in silence, she heard faint whispers nearby, as if someone was speaking.
She quickly looked up and saw Princess Runing standing behind her, observing the scene while murmuring “Amitabha” repeatedly.
“Princess?” Zhu Yan could no longer distinguish reality from illusion, still shaken by recent events.
Princess Runing stepped forward, her gaze icy cold, and demanded, “Why did you kill him?”
“What?” Zhu Yan’s heart skipped a beat, completely baffled by the princess’s words. The princess repeated, “Why did you kill him?”
Zhu Yan finally understood the situation. The princess before her was real, and what she saw was Zhu Yan killing the witness!
But she hadn’t killed him!
As Zhu Yan’s face contorted, about to explain, guards rushed in from outside and immediately apprehended her.
They gave Zhu Yan no chance to defend herself before dragging her away.
Only then did Zhu Yan realize she had fallen into a trap.
Just as her master had warned, everything had been orchestrated. Even though she knew it was all a conspiracy, she was powerless to break free and had walked right into their snare.
Zhu Yan was thrown into the dungeon, sitting there in a daze, replaying the entire case in her mind.
The case seemed riddled with inconsistencies, yet she felt utterly helpless. The waters were too deep, so deep she could barely breathe.
Heaving a long sigh, Zhu Yan glanced toward the adjacent cell. Madam Tang was there, sitting silently on the ground.
“Madam Tang,” Zhu Yan called out calmly. Madam Tang remained motionless.
Knowing she had been heard, Zhu Yan asked evenly, “Do you know Chen Huoe?”
At these words, Madam Tang shuddered as if coming to her senses. She turned to look at Zhu Yan and uttered, “Huoe?”
Those two syllables seemed to awaken something in Madam Tang, or perhaps they stirred something deep within her. She began to laugh maniacally.
“Huo… Huoe,” Madam Tang repeated frantically, her hands making strange gestures. Suddenly, a mysterious smoke enveloped her, and the dry straw on the ground burst into flames.
Zhu Yan recoiled in shock as the fire quickly engulfed Madam Tang.
The two cells were connected, and the dry grass on the floor was highly flammable. The flames surrounding Madam Tang rapidly spread to Zhu Yan’s cell.
“Hahaha…” Madam Tang laughed wildly amidst the flames, while Zhu Yan’s eyes widened in terror.
Was she about to be burned alive by Madam Tang?
“Help… Help!” Zhu Yan ran to the cell door, screaming, “Fire! Someone come quickly!”
Hearing the commotion, many people rushed in.
To Zhu Yan’s surprise, the leader of the group was none other than Shen Du!
For some reason, seeing Shen Du appear at that moment brought her a sense of relief.
Whenever she was in danger, this man always seemed to be by her side. She realized she had unknowingly come to depend on him.
The cell door was opened, and Shen Du waved his hand, parting the flames.
The fire was extinguished by the crowd, and fortunately, no one was hurt.
Shen Du pulled Zhu Yan out of the cell, his face dark with anger, silencing everyone around them.
Zhu Yan, a murderer? He didn’t believe it for a second.
But he was furious that someone had targeted one of his people. He could no longer stand idly by.
Shen Du’s expression remained grim as he led Zhu Yan away. She felt guilty seeing him so upset. “Are you still angry?” she asked.
Shen Du didn’t respond. Remembering the recent fire, Zhu Yan quickly asked, “The flames were so intense earlier. Are you hurt?”
Hearing Zhu Yan’s concern, Shen Du stopped and fixed her with a penetrating gaze. “It was cold fire. It couldn’t harm me.”
Cold fire was a technique from the Western Regions, used by performers there. Zhu Yan had seen it before—the powder that fell on people wasn’t hot and looked quite beautiful. She was surprised Shen Du had recognized it immediately, while she hadn’t even thought of it.
After Shen Du’s explanation, Zhu Yan noticed the powder covering his body. How had she missed it earlier?
Zhu Yan’s face flushed red, suddenly flustered. How could she have overlooked something so obvious? In the past, she would never have missed such a detail. Could it be that her concern had clouded her judgment?
Zhu Yan fell silent, lowering her head in embarrassment, unsure of what to say next.
Shen Du noticed Zhu Yan’s change in demeanor and observed her closely.
The woman before him seemed dazed, her face flushed, her breathing quickened. He surmised she had come to the same realization he had.
The corners of his lips curved upward involuntarily, and a strange atmosphere settled between them.
“You…” After what seemed like an eternity, Shen Du spoke. “Are you alright?”
His unexpected question startled Zhu Yan. She looked up at him and saw a complex emotion in his eyes.
Zhu Yan bit her lip, nodding and shaking her head in succession. “Mm, I’m fine. Nothing’s wrong.”
Shen Du said no more, the smile on his lips growing more pronounced as he turned to leave. Zhu Yan hurriedly followed in his footsteps.