The water flowed steadily. Zhu Yan was stunned. Had she heard correctly?
Seeing her long silence, Shen Du leaned in urgently: “Would my wife personally care for me too? Would you also lose sleep and risk your life searching for an antidote for me? Would you gaze longingly at gifts I’ve given you?”
Zhu Yan opened her mouth, then closed it after a moment’s thought.
Something was off. Very off. Shen Du was acting strangely. When had this started?
In the next instant, Shen Du’s flawless but cold face blocked her view. His deep, fathomless gaze cut off her train of thought.
It seemed everything had returned to the past. That 15-year-old boy appeared before her eyes, smiling warmly and full of strength, as if he had never changed.
Her heart began to race uncontrollably. If she could see her face, she’d bet even her ears were flushed red.
Damn it.
She tried to speak several times, but his soft breathing stopped her each time.
Instinctively, Zhu Yan pushed Shen Du away, no longer daring to meet his gaze. “You look too masculine to pass as a woman. You’d never be able to deal with Ji Dafu.”
She had ignored all his questions, choosing a seemingly reasonable explanation. But this wasn’t the answer Shen Du had hoped for.
He realized asking Zhu Yan these questions was like lifting a rock only to drop it on his foot – he was making a fool of himself.
Visibly, Shen Du’s expression darkened. Zhu Yan felt as if she had done something wrong.
She wanted to explain, but Shen Du suddenly interrupted her.
“Zhu Yan…” Slowly tilting up her chin, Shen Du felt he should do something.
This guy, the way he’s acting… could he be jealous?
Zhu Yan ignored this thought, covering her lips with one hand and reaching out to cover Shen Du’s with the other. She was flustered and at a loss. Then both her hands were firmly grasped by Shen Du, leaving her no escape.
Zhu Yan’s internal alarms went off. She blurted out: “Ji Dafu.”
“Shen Du, we’ve forgotten about Ji Dafu.”
In the past few days, they’d been so busy with Wang Buzui and Mo Qianzhi’s affairs that they’d completely forgotten about him.
“Remember? He’s still locked up,” Zhu Yan struggled a few times, then gave up. “Shen Du, I don’t want this. Are you going to force me?”
This woman.
Shen Du’s mood was completely ruined by her words. He released her hands and stormed out.
He seemed quite agitated.
Zhu Yan smiled quietly to herself, then got up to follow Shen Du towards the prison.
Hopefully, this remaining pawn of Guangchun Hall will be able to provide some useful information.
—
Before they even saw Ji Dafu, they heard a short string of songs.
Zhu Yan remembered this as Ji Dafu’s voice. From that day on the city wall, after hours of confrontation, his voice was unforgettable to her.
Hearing the cell door open, Ji Dafu stopped singing. He showed none of his previous panic towards these two, appearing quite relaxed and at ease.
For him, there was no point in struggling. Guangchun Hall had been raided, Wang Buzui was dead. Now he was just a condemned prisoner awaiting death.
If either of them became displeased, his head could roll at any moment. He had avenged his wife’s death, so he had nothing left to live for. He was prepared to die.
But a few days of prison life had changed his perspective. It’s better to live on than die well, so he was willing to cooperate with them. He hoped they would get straight to the point without wasting words.
Before Shen Du could speak, Ji Dafu asked with a smile: “What brings the two of you to see this humble one?”
This was hardly the same Ji Dafu who had repeatedly tried to kill Zhu Yan and personally planned to behead her uncle. He looked like an ordinary merchant now, his smile still carrying that sycophantic air of a petty trader.
Was it because he no longer had anywhere to act with impunity? Or did he not want to die?
Zhu Yan couldn’t help but frown, feeling disgusted yet helpless because they needed information from him. If possible, she wouldn’t want to spend another moment with this villain who had tried to take her life.
“What do you know about Guangchun Hall’s affairs?” Instinctively, Shen Du shielded Zhu Yan to one side, keeping her away from Ji Dafu.
Zhu Yan felt a warmth in her heart and stayed close to Shen Du.
Hearing the question, Ji Dafu scratched his head, smiling obsequiously, but said nothing.
“You don’t know?” Shen Du mused, more to himself than asking.
Ji Dafu was stunned for a while before reacting, then shook his head: “I don’t know,” he said, spreading his hands. “I have no reason to hide anything now, given what’s happened to Guangchun Hall.”
Then he smiled again, his eyes almost disappearing into the folds of his face.
“You were at Guangchun Hall for a long time, even as a branch leader. How could you not know?” If he had more time, Shen Du would like to wipe that smile off his face.
“Me? I was just an errand boy for Guangchun Hall, running errands, and cleaning up. How would I know what the higher-ups were doing?” He shrugged helplessly and sat down on the ground, not caring if it was dirty.
Tch, no useful information at all.
Seeing he was about to smile again, Shen Du quickly cut him off: “You don’t need to smile like that. I’m not your master.”
This was effective. Ji Dafu’s facial muscles drooped, but he quickly regained his smile, as if that grinning expression was permanently etched on his face.
He knew that the man before him now held his life in his hands.
He feared displeasing him.
“I never killed anyone. It was all them. My crimes don’t warrant death,” Ji Dafu pleaded.
“Who’s asking you about that?” Shen Du’s brows furrowed in impatience. “Your crimes will be dealt with by Great Zhou’s laws. I’m asking you, in all your time at Guangchun Hall, which higher-ups did you have contact with?”
“At most, I only had some interactions with the deputy leader,” he said, pouting. He was just an errand boy after all.
“What about the main leader?”
“Aiya, I was just a hired hand in their eyes,” he clicked his tongue, seeming to pity himself. “How could I have the fortune to meet the main leader?”
His responses left them both at a loss for what to ask next. It seemed this man was truly just a nobody.
Despite having sold his life to Lai Luofu’s people for so long, he was still crawling around the edges of Guangchun Hall.
“Then what about the ‘Chrysalis to Butterfly’ poison? How much do you know about that?”
Since it was their signature poison, even a marginal figure like him should have heard of it, Zhu Yan thought.
But seeing him shake his head, she felt frustrated. How could this man know nothing?
Noticing the change in their mood, Ji Dafu suddenly became a bit flustered.
Unfortunately, he was just an errand boy who knew nothing.
“Jing Lin, apply torture.”
Despite Ji Dafu’s pleas, Jing Lin had people drag him away and apply instruments of torture. Soon, they brought back a half-dead Ji Dafu.
Shen Du looked down at him: “Still not going to tell the truth?”