Shen Du’s martial prowess was formidable, but Chen Huoe was no ordinary opponent. After exchanging several moves, Chen Huoe was eventually wounded by Shen Du.
Realizing she was no match for Shen Du, Chen Huoe threw a smoke bomb and fled. By the time Shen Du emerged from the smoke, she had vanished without a trace.
Cold fury glinted in Shen Du’s eyes as he gripped his sword tightly, veins bulging on his hand. He was determined to investigate the old case thoroughly and clear his father’s name!
Back in the prison, Zhu Yan and Qi Yeyun seemed unable to process what they had just witnessed. The scene before them was too bizarre – how could a person simply transform into a moth and fly away?
This was the first time Qi Yeyun had ever seen anything like it. His mouth gaped open wide enough to fit an egg.
Zhu Yan was the first to regain her composure. She closed Qi Yeyun’s mouth and asked thoughtfully after carefully considering the situation, “Was there anything unusual before this incident occurred?”
Qi Yeyun shook his head. “There was nothing out of the ordinary. I didn’t even know about him turning into a cocoon beforehand. It was Madam Tang who alerted me, so I rushed over to check on him and saw this scene.”
“Madam Tang,” Zhu Yan murmured. This incident involved her again.
Suddenly, a sinking feeling came over Zhu Yan as if she had realized something. She hurriedly turned to go check on Madam Tang.
It wasn’t until she saw Madam Tang that Zhu Yan felt something was amiss. From the incident’s occurrence until now, it seemed as if everything had been arranged by some unseen hand.
It all appeared designed to lead her to discover these events. But what was the purpose behind this deliberate arrangement? Zhu Yan couldn’t figure it out.
She turned to look at Qi Yeyun standing not far behind her and suddenly felt that the young man before her seemed somewhat unfamiliar. It was as if this child was different from before.
His eyes seemed to be missing something, and recently he had been visiting Madam Tang more frequently.
In the past, he had always listened to Zhu Yan, but lately, he often went against her wishes and instead seemed to follow Madam Tang’s words closely.
Zhu Yan couldn’t help but find it suspicious.
When Shen Du returned to the Shen residence after failing to catch the culprit, Zhu Yan hurried to meet him. “How did it go? Did you catch her?”
Shen Du shook his head, his eyes dark and heavy. Zhu Yan lowered her gaze; this outcome was within her expectations.
“Did you get a clear look at that person’s face? Was it Chen Huoe?”
“It was,” Shen Du replied in a deep voice. He wasn’t sure how to explain it to Zhu Yan.
A convicted criminal, dead and resurrected – if he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, he wouldn’t have believed it no matter who told him.
“How is this possible?” Zhu Yan collapsed into a chair.
She had never believed in ghosts or spirits, but the resurrection of an executed criminal was truly hard for her to accept.
“It’s alright,” Shen Du said coldly, as if to comfort Zhu Yan. “Whether human or ghost, as long as they are unforgivably evil, I will bring them to justice.”
“But she’s already died once. If all this is truly her doing and we can’t find the mastermind behind it, even the Empress will find it hard to believe.”
Shen Du’s eyes grew even darker. Zhu Yan’s words were not without reason.
Seeing Zhu Yan’s furrowed brow, Shen Du felt a strange sensation in his heart. This woman was always immersed in cases as if she had never truly been herself or experienced happiness.
Shen Du took a deep breath. Seeing it was almost mealtime and that this woman had no intention of cooking, he decided it would be better to take her out to eat.
“Come on, I’ll take you somewhere,” Shen Du said, grabbing Zhu Yan’s wrist and heading out without waiting for her response.
Zhu Yan was confused and about to inquire when they encountered someone at the door.
“Where are you two going?” Yun Que asked curiously, staring at the pair.
Shen Du seemed somewhat annoyed with her but couldn’t bring himself to refuse. He coldly replied, “To eat.”
He had hoped his icy attitude would discourage Yun Que, but to his surprise, upon learning they were going to eat, she became even more delighted. “Great! I haven’t eaten either. Let’s go together!”
Shen Du’s face darkened, but with Yun Que having spoken so directly, he, as a man, couldn’t refuse. So he brought Yun Que along.
The group had initially planned to go to Taibai Tower, but on the way, they unexpectedly encountered Rong Zhui from Tongming Hall.
Zhu Yan and Shen Du were old acquaintances of hers and had sympathized with her several times during the Kuang Zhanxin case.
Naturally, they exchanged pleasantries upon meeting.
“Oh, if it isn’t the Grand Secretary! How leisurely of you to be out strolling with your wife,” Rong Zhui remarked.
Shen Du nodded slightly without saying much. At this point, Rong Zhui noticed Yun Que behind them.
Yun Que looked around innocently, seemingly very interested in her surroundings. With her sweet features and large, bright eyes, she was quite lovable.
After looking at Yun Que, Rong Zhui seemed to misunderstand something. She turned to Shen Du teasingly, “The Grand Secretary is truly blessed. Each of your wives is so beautiful. But it’s only natural – a handsome and accomplished man like yourself in such a high position deserves to have several wives to serve him.”
Yun Que was completely unfazed by Rong Zhui’s words as if this were simply a fact. What surprised Shen Du was that even though Rong Zhui had spoken so directly, Zhu Yan stood there unmoved, as if nothing had happened. Didn’t this woman know how to be possessive at all?
Shen Du was somewhat angered by Zhu Yan’s composure. With a grim face, he instructed Jing Lin behind him, “Take Miss Yun Que back. My wife and I have matters to discuss.”
“Yes, sir,” Jing Lin naturally understood Shen Du’s meaning and promptly led Yun Que away.
“Hey, I don’t want to go! I haven’t eaten yet,” Yun Que protested, not understanding the situation. But Jing Lin gave her no chance to argue, simply carrying her off.
Only now did Zhu Yan seem to grasp the current situation. Her facial muscles twitched as she looked at Shen Du in confusion. “What’s going on? Why did you send her away?”
Shen Du was completely dumbfounded. This woman was truly as dense as a block of wood when it came to matters of the heart. No, she was more like a piece of rotten wood.
“Let’s go,” he said, not bothering to explain further to Zhu Yan as he led her away.
They arrived at Taibai Tower, and even after the food was served, Zhu Yan still couldn’t understand why Shen Du was angry.
If he didn’t want to bring Yun Que along, he could have simply refused back at the residence. Why bring her out only to send her back halfway?
Had he lost his mind? Or was there something wrong with his thinking?
Zhu Yan didn’t dare ask directly, and given Shen Du’s current expression, she feared that even one more question might bring trouble upon herself.
To ease the tension, Zhu Yan steered the conversation towards the case.
“Have you noticed that the relationship between Lai Luozhi and Chen Huoe seems somewhat unusual?”