Salted fish?

Ji Yunshu didn’t probe further.

“What about Jingrong? How is he now?”

“You should worry about yourself first. I heard from Wei Yi that you were injured? How are you?”

“I’m fine.” She lied, then continued: “You needn’t worry. The outside of Highland Stronghold must have some kind of mechanisms set up. Otherwise, Zijin wouldn’t have been unable to get in, and you wouldn’t have needed to dress up like this.”

Muruo nodded: “That’s right. You guessed correctly. The outside is practically like an impenetrable prison, but inside here, it’s quite lax.”

That was natural!

If the outside was tight, the inside didn’t need to be!

Ji Yunshu said worriedly: “You should leave quickly. If you’re discovered, you won’t be able to get away.”

Muruo didn’t look at her, busying himself with the work at hand, ears pricked up, frowning as he asked: “What exactly is the situation here now?”

Ji Yunshu could only make it brief, giving a simple account of the matter.

After hearing it, Muruo was astonished!

Looking at the headless skeleton on the table, he instinctively moved his hand aside.

His spine trembled.

“Wherever you are, there are cases.” He swallowed and said: “But do you really believe they’ll let you go?”

“Do I have any other choice?”

“Jingrong is already planning to borrow troops from Jingzhou and is just waiting to storm the mountain to rescue you.”

Upon hearing this, Ji Yunshu immediately refused: “No. Muruo, you must promise me—absolutely cannot let him do this. Once they storm the mountain, the consequences will be unimaginable. We can’t sacrifice more people.”

“But…”

“I trust Zhao Huai. As long as I investigate this, he’ll let me go.”

Actually, Muruo understood the stakes!

Even if Marquis Kanghou of Jingzhou’s troops were formidable, storming the mountain and rescuing people would inevitably result in countless deaths and injuries.

So as Ji Yunshu said, the only feasible method now was indeed to solve this case and gamble with Zhao Huai.

And Muruo was rational too!

He nodded: “Alright, I’ll find a way to stop Jingrong, but if something really happens to you, he’ll probably kill me.”

Ji Yunshu said firmly: “I will leave safely.”

As she spoke, she turned to glance toward the door, then took out a handkerchief from her waist and handed it to Muruo.

“I need to trouble you to help me see what this is.”

Muruo opened it to look, moved it around with his fingers, and brought it to his nose to smell.

The faint scent of camphor wood.

“This should be a medicinal ingredient.”

“What medicine?”

“If I’m not mistaken, this should be a medicinal preparation my father once created, called Anxin Powder. It’s made from camphor wood, Boling grass, Seven Seeds, insect rice season, and other medicinal materials. However, as for what it’s specifically used for, my father never mentioned it. But since it’s called Anxin Powder, it should be used for calming the mind.”

Calming the mind?

Ji Yunshu questioned: “Only your father developed this medicine?”

“That’s right, because my father would record all the medicinal preparations he personally developed. I’ve looked through the notebook he left behind and saw it there. However, he wrote down the formula but never wrote down the effects—it’s a puzzle the old fellow left for me.”

This is infuriating!

The old fellow died and still kept things back!

In Ji Yunshu’s mind, it was as if a layer of fog had descended.

Muruo asked curiously: “This medicine—where did you get it?”

Ji Yunshu had no time to explain in detail and took the handkerchief back: “I’ll explain it to you, but for now, you should leave quickly. Those two are probably about to return.”

“Then be careful yourself. Zijin will be outside Highland Stronghold. If something happens, use the previous method to get information out. She’ll notify us at any time. As for Jingrong, I’ll find a way to calm him down.”

“Thank you.”

Muruo turned to look at Wei Yi, who was eating buns.

This kid really could eat.

Taking advantage of the fact that the two bandits hadn’t returned yet, he left.

Wei Yi stood up and chased after him for a few steps but was held back by Ji Yunshu.

“Don’t tell anyone, understand?”

“I know. Shu’er and Brother Muruo are playing a hiding people game.”

“That’s right, it’s a hiding people game.”

Well then. Ji Yunshu really wanted to slap herself. She had deceived Wei Yi once again. She didn’t know if in the future he would use all the things she’d deceived him about to have a heart-to-heart talk with her…

After Muruo left, he changed back into his own clothes and departed Highland Stronghold.

When Little Yu woke up, his face was completely bewildered!

He immediately ran to find Wei Yi, but Wei Yi was sitting safely on the stone steps outside, playing with pebbles.

He kicked at him: “Kid, what on earth happened? How did I pass out?”

“How would I know?”

“How could you not know?”

“You passed out yourself. I called you for ages and you didn’t respond, so I left.”

Little Yu was half-convinced. He twisted his neck, always feeling something was off, but clearly nothing had happened.

So after thinking about it, he let it go…

After Little Yu left, Ji Yunshu came out from inside.

She sat down beside Wei Yi.

Wei Yi turned his head to look at her, raising a big smile, and lifted his sleeve to wipe Ji Yunshu’s forehead.

“Is Shu’er very tired? You’re covered in sweat.”

She shook her head: “I’m not tired.”

“Shu’er, why do you like those bamboo slips so much? They don’t look fun at all.”

The so-called bamboo slips were actually the skeleton.

Ji Yunshu didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She really shouldn’t have deceived Wei Yi like this.

“Wei Yi, actually those bamboo slips are like your friends. If you can’t become true friends with them, then they won’t consider you a friend either, and you won’t be able to get the information you want from them.”

“What information?”

“The truth.”

“What truth?”

“This…” Ji Yunshu was actually amused by him.

At this time, it was already dusk!

Orange-red twilight filtered down from half the sky, falling precisely on the two of them, facing the light, sitting side by side on the stone steps.

Very much a feeling of “working at sunrise and resting at sunset”!

Wei Yi was probably tired and leaned on Ji Yunshu’s shoulder, eyes half-closed, resting.

His mouth was still mumbling something or other.

Ji Yunshu couldn’t hear clearly. She reached out to ruffle his hair, a faint smile appearing at the corners of her mouth.

But after a moment, her expression became grave again!

Her heart filled with worry about this murder case…

At this very moment, Zhao Huai had locked himself in his room, sitting dazed for an entire day.

His eyes stared ahead without focus!

His body completely motionless, only those eyes, dark and gloomy.

In his mind, the scene from the bridal chamber a year ago flashed countless times.

He had pushed open the red wooden door before him.

Inside, the bride in her full red wedding dress, red veil covering her face, should have been sitting shyly on that large bed, should have been waiting for her groom to lift the red veil from atop her head.

But that thin, small body was lying lightly on the ground…

Blood seeped from her chest bit by bit, staining that red wedding dress even redder, even darker.

And before the bride stood not her groom, but a tall, terrifying figure.

That person held a sword, his back to Zhao Huai. He couldn’t see clearly what the murderer looked like at that moment—whether it was ferocious or regretful…