◎I Swear to Heaven, I Am Not Zhang Jiuran◎

Hearing this sentence, Luo Wanqing couldn’t help but look up at Xie Heng. She felt the word “invitation” used here was deeply meaningful.

She dared not think too much and followed Xie Heng forward.

Xie Heng stepped out the door, raised his hand to stop those who wanted to follow, and led Luo Wanqing alone up the mountain.

Unexpectedly, Xie Heng was so cooperative. Luo Wanqing couldn’t help but strengthen her vigilance.

She had never seen Xie Heng fight and didn’t know his martial arts level. If Xie Heng’s martial arts weren’t high, although Xiang Sizi probably wouldn’t act, once he did, should she save Xie Heng or not?

If she didn’t save him, Li Guiyu would lose a major ally and might not rise to power in the future. Her family would be safe, but if she assassinated Xie Heng, she would definitely be hunted by the Supervision Department to the end. She might not survive.

If she saved him, she would need to find a reason to convince Xiang Sizi, otherwise her family would be in danger.

However, the best option was for her to keep Xie Heng within the safe zone, let Xiang Sizi just observe, and not put herself in the dangerous position of having to actively choose.

Whether saving or not saving, both would be losses for her.

What Xiang Sizi wanted to prove was that she had the ability to help him kill Xie Heng. If she brought Xie Heng to a position where he could see him, letting him know she had this ability would be enough for her to negotiate with Xiang Sizi.

She lowered her head, pondering the proper limits for later. Xie Heng glanced at her inconspicuously and suddenly spoke: “Nothing you want to ask?”

Hearing this, Luo Wanqing looked up alertly.

She wasn’t sure what Xie Heng wanted to test, so she said carefully: “This subordinate doesn’t know what should be asked and what shouldn’t be asked.”

“Don’t you want to ask why I was intimate with you just now?” Xie Heng broke off a tree branch and cleared the thorns on the path, leading Luo Wanqing forward.

Luo Wanqing looked at the thorns pressed to the ground and speculated: “Young Master wanted to let the Third Prince know that he’s not the only one with leverage. The Third Prince has feelings for Miss Luo, and Young Master’s actions were unacceptable to the Third Prince. This was intimidation toward the Third Prince.”

“This wasn’t intimidation.” Xie Heng corrected. “It was a test.”

Luo Wanqing remained silent, following Xie Heng and listening to his explanation: “Tonight I had you disguise yourself as a hunter’s daughter to lure him up the mountain, had Zhang Yiran encounter you by chance, then brought that cartload of people to report. I had Xuanshan disguise himself as me and wait at the Supervision Department. This human trafficking case has always been monitored by the Supervision Department. As long as Zhang Yiran enters the Eastern Capital, no matter which government office he goes to, he’ll be directed to the Supervision Department. Then Xuanshan will receive him in my identity. Zhang Yiran isn’t from the martial world and would have difficulty distinguishing truth from falsehood. I would then have a person trusted by His Majesty testify that when Li Guiyu died, I was in the Eastern Capital. Additionally, the crossbows I prepared tonight are specially made by the Wang family—all confiscated from previously fallen Supervision Department brothers. In the future, when Li Guiyu dies, the Empress and I can mutually accuse each other. At most, I’ll lose some imperial favor, but no one can do anything to me.”

“So Young Master didn’t choose to directly negotiate with the Third Prince, but instead took such a roundabout approach, all to draw Master Zhang Yiran into the game to testify for Young Master?”

Luo Wanqing understood Xie Heng’s meaning.

If Xie Heng had directly negotiated with Li Guiyu, Li Guiyu would never have given him such a perfect opportunity.

“Did Young Master really plan to kill him?” Luo Wanqing was somewhat curious.

Xie Heng glanced at her lightly and only said: “I have no interest in killing him. But only if I can kill him and escape unscathed will Li Guiyu believe I might kill him. If he believes this, he won’t gamble his life against Baili. This is my chance to get Baili back. Of course, if he insists on gambling,” Xie Heng’s tone turned cool, “I never lose.”

Because Xie Heng was willing to gamble the Supervision Department against Li Guiyu’s life, Li Guiyu chose to negotiate today.

“Young Master…” Luo Wanqing heard that he never intended to exchange her for Baili. She couldn’t help saying: “You never considered using me to exchange for Master Baili?”

“A face alone cannot make the exchange.”

Xie Heng spoke directly. Luo Wanqing was startled and instinctively asked: “Why?”

Looking at Li Guiyu’s performance today, he was willing to follow her up the mountain, insisted on exchanging her for Baili, and even became angry over it. How could the exchange fail?

“He didn’t come up the mountain because of you.”

Xie Heng saw through Luo Wanqing’s meaning and said directly: “He originally had his own plans. He wanted to use exchanging you for Baili to mislead me, prevent me from discovering his true intentions, and get me to go to Fangfei Pavilion in ten days.” Xie Heng emphasized: “That is his real purpose.”

Luo Wanqing understood.

“So Young Master being intimate with me…” Luo Wanqing frowned.

“Was going along with his wishes.” Xie Heng confirmed Luo Wanqing’s thoughts. There was a small slope on the mountain. Xie Heng habitually raised his hand to help Luo Wanqing. This careful action, treating her like an ordinary lady, made her look at him again. Xie Heng was completely unaware and continued: “I pretended to be deceived by him, used you to pressure him, made him think I truly believed he cared too much about your face and was forced to tell the truth. I made him think I would fully believe his words.”

“Young Master wanted to induce him to reveal his own plan? But this might not be true.” Luo Wanqing reminded.

Xie Heng chuckled softly and said lightly: “After lies, what you analyze yourself becomes truth. Say enough, and there’s always something useful.”

“Then…” Luo Wanqing heard this and frowned: “Since he doesn’t care about my face, why did Young Master go to such great lengths to have me change faces?”

“Don’t you want to kill him?”

Xie Heng’s voice was flat: “In the future, when you come and go from the Supervision Department, you can’t always use that burned face. Sooner or later, you’ll need a face. Why not use one that’s easiest for killing him? He doesn’t not care about your face—he cares extremely. He couldn’t even bear to let you serve tea with this face. It’s just that for his great undertaking, he would even kill Luo Wanqing, let alone you, a fake. He won’t be disturbed too much. But remember, between masters, death often lies in the smallest margins. This face,” Xie Heng glanced at her, “is your margin for killing him. Today is just the beginning. Your face will have great use in the future.”

“Young Master will continue to trouble the Third Prince in the future?” Luo Wanqing heard Xie Heng’s unspoken meaning and asked puzzledly: “Why?”

“I have something,” Xie Heng seemed to remember something, “I want to ask him in the imperial prison.”

“Why must it be asked in the imperial prison?”

Luo Wanqing didn’t understand.

If it was just about the border incident five years ago, since he agreed to ally with Li Guiyu, Li Guiyu should tell him.

Just like in her previous life.

Xie Heng didn’t elaborate, only saying: “He has committed crimes.”

Luo Wanqing pondered these words, unable to distinguish for a moment what these so-called “crimes” specifically referred to. Was it crimes when he was a hostage years ago, or… crimes against Luo Wanqing?

But thinking of the latter, she immediately dismissed the thought.

What did Luo Wanqing mean to Xie Heng? How could she be worth this Supervision Department Chief’s obsession, making him stand up for her?

She pushed down these chaotic thoughts and then said: “Then how did Young Master discuss with the Third Prince?”

“In ten days, I’ll go to Fangfei Pavilion to meet him and bring back Baili, pretending to give you to him. Fengyu Pavilion will assassinate me that night, and we’ll join forces to eliminate Fengyu Pavilion. If I can capture Xiang Sizi, you’ll go to him.”

“Young Master trusts him?”

Luo Wanqing frowned. She didn’t understand why Xie Heng suddenly decided to ally with Li Guiyu and accept using her to exchange for Baili.

Xie Heng didn’t speak. He thought for a moment, then turned back to look at Luo Wanqing, his eyes carrying scrutiny: “What do you think?”

These words made Luo Wanqing’s heart tremble. She didn’t know why Xie Heng suddenly asked her this. It seemed like a test, as if he knew something.

The two walked to the mountain top. Behind them was dense forest. Xie Heng looked down at the small house below and said softly: “Tell me, if tonight really is Fengyu Pavilion people ambushing me here, will they ambush again in ten days?”

“This subordinate only saw suspicious signs and made guesses. It’s not necessarily Fengyu Pavilion.”

Luo Wanqing explained, but Xie Heng seemed not to have heard. He looked at the mountain below and only asked: “Do you think I should trust you, or trust him?”

Hearing this, Luo Wanqing looked up at Xie Heng.

She vaguely sensed Xie Heng was hinting at something, but she couldn’t understand it. Uncertain of what Xie Heng actually knew, she only looked at him calmly and said: “Young Master should trust yourself.”

Xie Heng said nothing. He stared at Luo Wanqing. After a while, he said softly: “Qin Jue told me that when he first encountered Zhang Jiuran, he wanted to test her intentions and identity. He tested many times, and Zhang Jiuran was perfectly flawless. So real that he had no doubts.”

Unexpectedly, Xie Heng would suddenly mention Zhang Jiuran. Luo Wanqing controlled her shocked emotions and only looked at Xie Heng blankly, puzzled: “Young Master?”

“I’ve always wondered what Fengyu Pavilion’s top assassin would be like. I used to think she must be someone with exceptional martial arts and supreme intelligence.”

Xie Heng raised his hand and gently caressed Luo Wanqing’s cheek, speaking in a low voice only the two of them could hear, his eyes full of affection.

Luo Wanqing was startled, realizing Xie Heng’s current behavior was abnormal.

This young master never did anything without purpose. Every word, every action had meaning. What was he trying to do now?

She couldn’t help glancing at the dense forest, then heard Xie Heng say: “Don’t look.”

He gazed at her, his face showing a gentle smile, but his command was ice-cold: “Lower your head, look shy, step back.”

Behind her was the encirclement where Xiang Sizi had set his ambush. Luo Wanqing instantly understood Xie Heng’s meaning.

He had confirmed Xiang Sizi was here, and he wanted to lure Xiang Sizi into action.

Normally, Xiang Sizi indeed wouldn’t act, but if Xie Heng showed a weakness, Xiang Sizi might not give up this opportunity.

She didn’t know Xie Heng’s martial arts level, but she had an intuition that Xie Heng would never do anything he wasn’t confident about. If he dared to trick Xiang Sizi into acting, he absolutely had the confidence to catch him.

But she couldn’t let Xiang Sizi fall into Xie Heng’s hands now. That way, she could never safely send her family away.

She had to protect Xiang Sizi.

Her mind raced, but her face still followed Xie Heng’s requirements and stepped back.

Xie Heng watched her lower her head, his face showing a gentle smile, like a gentleman teasing some household lady, following Luo Wanqing’s retreating steps and pressing closer.

But within the range only the two could hear, his tone was unusually calm: “Turn and run.”

Hearing this, Luo Wanqing gritted her teeth and turned to run. She tried to look up and signal Xiang Sizi’s people with her eyes, but just as she raised her head, she felt a tremendous force from behind. Xie Heng caught her waist and brought her back into his embrace, directly pressing her against a tree.

Their clothes intertwined. Xie Heng’s nose lightly brushed Luo Wanqing’s neck, his breathing slightly irregular.

Luo Wanqing’s body couldn’t help but tremble. Xie Heng’s tone was cold and calm: “Qin Jue said he and Zhang Jiuran almost got married. She was very good at deceiving people.”

Luo Wanqing couldn’t understand why Xie Heng mentioned Zhang Jiuran at this time. All her senses became exceptionally acute, as if she could hear faint rustling sounds in the forest.

She wasn’t sure if Xiang Sizi was about to act. Xie Heng’s hand climbed up her wrist, threading through her fingers and pressing both their hands against the tree.

He stopped beside her ear, seemingly lost in passion, asking softly: “Have you tried with him?”

Luo Wanqing looked back in surprise to see the usually cold and aloof young master with fluctuating breath, staring intently at her, hesitant to speak.

“I’ll give you one chance,” Xie Heng said hoarsely. “Kiss me.”

Luo Wanqing stared at him blankly.

Then she understood. Xie Heng might have realized something.

Realized she had deliberately brought him here, realized there was an ambush here. He wanted to draw the snake from its hole. Only if she actively kissed him could she make Xiang Sizi more certain that Xie Heng was being seduced by her at this moment, rather than deliberately setting an ambush.

If she was actively seducing and Xie Heng was truly infatuated, this would naturally be Xiang Sizi’s best opportunity.

As long as Xiang Sizi wanted to kill Xie Heng, he would find it hard to give up this heaven-sent chance.

This was Xie Heng asking her to surrender, or perhaps testing her.

The opportunity for choice was only an instant. Xie Heng gave her no time to hesitate. Seeing Xie Heng move, she unhesitatingly pulled down his collar and leaned up to kiss him!

Xie Heng’s pupils contracted sharply. Just as their soft lips touched, cold arrows flew densely from the forest!

This idiot!

Luo Wanqing looked coldly toward the forest, cursing inwardly. She embraced Xie Heng and turned, facing the arrow rain. She pulled down her Qianji waist chain and spread it out, grinding the arrows beneath the Qianji, then pushed Xie Heng away and directly pursued into the dense forest.

Xie Heng was delayed by her intervention. He looked up coldly, watching Luo Wanqing rush into the forest.

Luo Wanqing chased into the forest and immediately saw Xiang Sizi. She shouted: “Don’t run!” then straightened the Qianji and slashed fiercely at Xiang Sizi with sword-like motion.

Xiang Sizi’s sword clashed with the Qianji. Luo Wanqing lowered her voice urgently: “Go!”

Xiang Sizi alertly looked up, sensing something wrong. Immediately, his sword energy surged powerfully. At the same time, Xie Heng followed closely, his overwhelming sword energy slashing straight down at Xiang Sizi. Luo Wanqing thought this was bad and immediately pretended to be struck by Xiang Sizi, flying heavily toward Xie Heng behind her.

Xie Heng raised his hand to catch Luo Wanqing, stopping her momentum. In that brief moment, Xiang Sizi had already disappeared without a trace.

Assassins around them fled into the forest. Supervision Department people, hearing the commotion, rushed up the mountain and charged in.

Xie Heng stood in place holding his sword, turning back to look at the woman in his arms, his expression cold.

Luo Wanqing hastily knelt on the ground, saying urgently: “This subordinate is incompetent, disrupting Young Master’s plan. Please punish me, Young Master!”

“Punishment?” Xie Heng said coolly. “You deserve punishment.”

“This subordinate accepts the blame.”

Luo Wanqing had never heard Xie Heng use such a tone. Xie Heng put away his sleeve sword and turned away: “Come down the mountain. Tonight you’ll interrogate the Fengyu Pavilion people.”

Luo Wanqing was startled, not understanding Xie Heng’s meaning.

But she immediately stood up and quickly followed Xie Heng.

Xie Heng strode quickly down the slope, boarded the carriage with a cold face. Luo Wanqing dared not speak, standing outside the carriage, waiting for Xie Heng’s instructions.

She wasn’t sure if he had seen through her deliberate release of Xiang Sizi, nor did she understand what Xie Heng was testing tonight.

But she knew something must have changed about Xie Heng.

What had Li Guiyu said?

Luo Wanqing pondered uncertainly. Xie Heng sat in the carriage. After a moment, he called: “Liu Xiniang.”

Luo Wanqing turned back to see a jade bottle thrown from the carriage. She instinctively caught it and heard Xie Heng say: “Take it.”

Luo Wanqing looked down at the jade bottle, opened it to sniff, confirmed it was healing medicine, and immediately said: “Thank you, Young Master.”

Xie Heng said nothing. Through the carriage curtain, Luo Wanqing could clearly feel his displeasure.

She dared not say more, took two pills from the bottle, and not daring to return it, tucked it into her sleeve.

Presumably, when Xie Heng rewarded subordinates, he wouldn’t want things back. If she returned it, Xie Heng probably wouldn’t like it.

She waited quietly at the carriage door for a while, then saw Zhuque rush down from the mountain using light footwork, coming before Xie Heng, saying happily: “Young Master, we caught two. This harvest is quite good.”

“Mm.”

Xie Heng responded, then said: “Return, interrogate through the night.”

With that, the carriage began moving. Zhuque looked at Luo Wanqing and gestured: “You ride a horse to protect Young Master on the way back. We’ll bring the people back.”

Luo Wanqing nodded in agreement. Zhuque turned and went back into the mountains.

Luo Wanqing rode a horse following the carriage, couldn’t help glancing at Xie Heng sitting in the carriage.

The carriage curtain fluttered, occasionally revealing the young master’s handsome face.

Xie Heng sensed her watching him and glanced over coldly. Luo Wanqing quickly averted her gaze, her heart concerned about that sword strike from Xie Heng earlier.

She couldn’t help worrying about Xiang Sizi, afraid that before he could return her family safely, he would be cut down by Xie Heng’s sword.

Just from that sword strike alone, she didn’t need to see more to clearly know that Xie Heng definitely didn’t need her protection.

She didn’t know how Xie Heng viewed what just happened, and her heart was uneasy.

Following Xie Heng’s carriage slowly back to the Supervision Department, it was already midnight. The front courtyard was still bustling with activity—probably Zhang Yiran still arguing with Xuanshan about the human traffickers.

Xie Heng led her down to the dungeon, had lights lit, and as soon as they entered, they saw Zhuque and Qingya already waiting there.

In the dungeon, three assassins were bound to torture racks. Their mouths were propped open with wooden frames, unable to close, saliva dripping down. They were bound tightly with iron chains, staring at them with fear and anger.

Luo Wanqing smelled the bloody scent in the interrogation room, her heart chilling slightly. Xie Heng seemed accustomed to it, sitting in the main chair in front, resting his forehead on his hand, looking somewhat wearily at the three people before him.

“Young Master has arrived,” Qingya stepped forward gently. “These are the materials on these people, as well as files kept at the Supervision Department. Shall I have people begin?”

“Xiniang.”

Xie Heng suddenly spoke. Everyone was startled. Luo Wanqing looked up to see Xie Heng turn to look at her, saying calmly, “Have you studied interrogation?”

Interrogation had some similarities to what she learned when she was a physician.

Except then she was trying to save people.

She had an intuition about what she was supposed to do, but she knew Xie Heng was already suspicious of her. She lowered her eyes and said calmly, “I have studied it.”

“Everyone else, withdraw.”

Xie Heng raised his hand, dismissing everyone.

Zhuque looked around, understanding that Xie Heng wanted Luo Wanqing to take action. He couldn’t help glancing at Luo Wanqing, saying carefully: “Um, Young Master, Inspector Liu just arrived. How about I…”

“Withdraw.”

Xie Heng glanced over coldly. Zhuque immediately lowered his head: “Yes, Young Master.”

After speaking, Zhuque followed everyone else out.

Only Xie Heng and Luo Wanqing remained in the room, along with the three assassins.

Xie Heng rested his forehead on his hand, saying calmly, “Begin the interrogation. First question: Where is Fengyu Pavilion’s stronghold? Second question: Where is Fengyu Pavilion’s Left Envoy now? Third question: Where is Xiang Sizi? Fourth question: Who is the assassin Xiang Sizi planted in the Supervision Department? Fifth question: What does Xiang Sizi plan to do? Any other clues can be mentioned. Speak, and you can live well. Don’t speak,” Xie Heng looked up, “you can be kept alive, but it would be worse than death.”

Hearing this, all three assassins remained silent, seeming to face death without fear.

Xie Heng looked down at the open files, pointed to the one on the far side, and said to Luo Wanqing: “Begin.”

Luo Wanqing took a deep breath and walked to the torture instruments.

For torture, one usually started with instruments that wouldn’t cause lasting damage. Luo Wanqing hesitated for a moment, then picked up a whip from the side. Hearing the sound, Xie Heng didn’t look up but knew what she had taken, saying lightly: “Use needles.”

Luo Wanqing’s movement paused. Xie Heng reminded: “Fengyu Pavilion assassins all receive special training. Ordinary punishment is completely useless. Don’t waste time.”

Hearing this, Luo Wanqing said respectfully: “Yes.”

With that, she grabbed a handful of steel needles and walked to the person on the far side.

The other person closed their eyes. Luo Wanqing grabbed one of their fingers and calmly placed the steel needle at the nail gap.

The flesh beneath the needle was soft, the nail it pressed against was somewhat hard, with resistance.

She had given countless people acupuncture in her life. In the past, she never hesitated when administering needles, but at this moment, holding the rice-grain-wide steel needle, she felt afraid.

The person she held looked calm, but his body muscles were tense. She knew he was afraid.

He was a person.

This thought flashed through her mind. In that moment, Xie Heng’s voice leisurely sounded: “Never tortured anyone before?”

“No.”

Luo Wanqing kept in mind her identity as a Salt Syndicate sub-leader, saying quietly: “I’ve only beaten people, never used these things.”

“Oh, then this reaction is quite authentic.”

Xie Heng put down the files. He stood up and walked behind Luo Wanqing, reaching from behind to hold her hand, as if embracing her, saying coldly: “Then I’ll teach you.”

With that, he held her hand and slowly drove the steel needle inch by inch under the nail.

The person on the rack began struggling violently. Xie Heng grabbed her other hand and pressed down hard on the other person, saying calmly: “Hold him down.”

Luo Wanqing dared not move. She pressed down hard on the struggling arm. For a moment, she felt that the person being tortured wasn’t the one on the rack, but herself.

The person on the rack bit his lip, like an oxygen-deprived fish, using all his strength trying to break free from the iron chains.

The steel needle went deeper and deeper. When it was completely embedded under one nail, Xie Heng guided Luo Wanqing to gently move the steel needle. Instantly, the person on the rack could no longer bear it and suddenly screamed!

Luo Wanqing couldn’t help but tremble. Xie Heng looked at her sideways: “What are you afraid of?”

“This is my first time torturing someone,” Luo Wanqing controlled her emotions, saying softly. “Please forgive me, Young Master.”

“Inspector Liu still has a compassionate heart.”

Xie Heng’s tone was emotionless. As he spoke, he pulled her hand to take the second steel needle, slowly inserting it amid the other’s wails, saying blandly: “After years in the Salt Syndicate, still so pure and kind. As if this person is someone you know, feeling reluctant in your heart.”

Hearing this, Luo Wanqing’s heart sank, finally fully understanding the meaning of this interrogation.

He wasn’t interrogating these prisoners—he was interrogating her.

“I don’t understand Young Master’s meaning.”

Luo Wanqing let him guide her, inserting the steel needles one by one.

“Xiniang, these people deserve their crimes.”

Xie Heng’s voice was by her ear, still exceptionally clear amid the screaming: “His name is Ming San. He grew up in Fengyu Pavilion and has killed countless people. Last year, he slaughtered a farming family.”

Steel needles continued to pierce the young man’s fingers. Xie Heng described his crimes: “Only one woman survived from that family. He tied her to a tree and killed her children with one cut after another, but left her alive. The reason was simply that when he passed by and saw this woman, she gave meat to her child. He told the woman that his mother sold him for two pounds of pork—why should she give meat to her child to eat?”

Luo Wanqing couldn’t help but feel sick. One cut after another—though Xie Heng was very subtle, she understood what situation would result in “one cut after another.”

Her hands began to tremble. Suddenly, she felt this person wasn’t pitiable at all.

He deserved to die.

He deserved to die ten thousand times over.

Xie Heng glanced at her and continued: “Fengyu Pavilion people are mostly like this. For example, Zhang Jiuran—Qin Jue treated her with sincerity, yet she harmed his entire family. Tell me, don’t they deserve to die?”

Zhang Jiuran.

This was the second time today Xie Heng mentioned Zhang Jiuran.

Luo Wanqing looked back coldly at Xie Heng, who seemed to be embracing her: “What did the Third Prince say to Young Master?”

Xie Heng looked at her vigilant and cold eyes, remained silent. After a moment, he spoke: “Don’t ask me questions. I’ll give you one chance—tell me who you are.”

Luo Wanqing said nothing.

Until the last moment, she wouldn’t confess without being beaten.

She looked puzzled: “What exactly does Young Master want to say?”

Seeing this, Xie Heng thought for a moment, then chuckled softly.

He stepped back, making way for Luo Wanqing, then raised his hand to grip her wrist and pull her toward the chair.

His strength was great, giving Luo Wanqing no chance to refuse. She was dragged by him and pressed to sit in the chair.

Seeing her seated, Xie Heng walked to the torture rack, elegantly rolled up his sleeves, took the torture instruments, and said gently: “Since Xiniang won’t speak, let me show Xiniang how to interrogate.”

With that, he poured boiling water and walked to the person in the middle, stripped off their clothes, and directly poured the boiling water down their body.

Piercing screams echoed through the torture chamber. Luo Wanqing felt as if she was back to the day her face was burned by fire, the pain making her entire body freeze in place.

Xie Heng’s torture movements were smooth and elegant. Luo Wanqing felt it was the most horrific scene in the world.

She forced herself not to show any emotion, watching the middle person finally unable to withstand the final procedure, crying and saying in a trembling voice: “I’ll talk. I have clues.”

Xie Heng paused, turned to look, grabbed the completely limp person by the hair, and lifted him, saying calmly: “What do you have to say?”

“I know, I know, news about the Left Envoy.”

Hearing this, Luo Wanqing nervously gripped the chair’s armrests.

Xie Heng listened attentively: “Mm?”

“I am, I’m from the Dark Pavilion. I’ve seen the roster,” the other person gasped. “I know the Left Envoy’s identity in the martial world.”

Fengyu Pavilion people all had independent identities in the martial world. Like how Zhao Yuyan had an identity as Jiu Shuang, they usually used these identities to move through the martial world while secretly using their Fengyu Pavilion identities to assassinate others.

This identity, besides the pavilion master and the assassin themselves, was only filed in the Dark Pavilion’s core archives. Besides that, no one knew.

Luo Wanqing stared intently at the other person. Xie Heng glanced at her expression, then looked at the person on the ground: “What identity?”

“In the martial world, she’s a sub-leader of the Yangzhou Salt Syndicate branch.” The other person swallowed saliva, completely unaware of everything, saying clearly: “Her name is Liu Xiniang.”

Luo Wanqing’s pupils contracted sharply. Xie Heng looked calmly at the other person and continued: “Is Liu Xiniang Zhang Jiuran?”

The other person shook his head hoarsely: “I don’t know.”

Hearing his words, Xie Heng nodded, seeming to accept his answer.

He crouched halfway on the ground. The floor was covered in blood. Xie Heng rested one hand on his knee and held a blade in the other, his face stained with blood as he looked up at Luo Wanqing: “Xiniang, do you know? Is Liu Xiniang Zhang Jiuran?”

When he asked this, Luo Wanqing calmed down.

She finally knew what Li Guiyu had told Xie Heng.

Earlier, Zhuque had reported that they only caught two people on the mountain, yet there were three here, meaning one wasn’t captured.

Most likely, that one was provided by Li Guiyu.

This was why Xie Heng suddenly asked her whom she should trust, suddenly mentioned Zhang Jiuran to her, suddenly wanted to confirm that if she said Fengyu Pavilion was coming to ambush, there would be people ambushing, suddenly changed his attitude, agreed to hand her over to Li Guiyu, and cooperate with Li Guiyu.

She stared blankly at Xie Heng. Xie Heng stood up, walked before her, his blood-stained hand brushing across her cheek as he circled her chair, saying calmly: “You disguise yourself very well, very, very well. You don’t look like an assassin at all. In my life, I’ve seen countless people, yet never has anyone been able to disguise themselves so thoroughly as you—body, details, speech, everything completely disguised. You even made yourself look like a Yangzhou lady, and even your reaction to torturing people was so realistically acted. It’s precisely this perfect disguise that made me suspect you were an assassin many times, yet I never dared to be certain, because I’ve never seen such a flawed, kindhearted assassin. But if you are Zhang Jiuran—”

Xie Heng stopped beside her, looking down at her: “Then I understand.”

Hearing this, Luo Wanqing looked up and said calmly: “Why?”

“Because originally, Junior Brother Qin described you to me the same way.”

Flawed, kindhearted.

That indeed described Zhang Jiuran and Qin Jue’s acquaintance.

Luo Wanqing lowered her eyes and couldn’t help but chuckle softly. Xie Heng lifted her chin, forcing her to look at him. He bent down, staring coldly into her eyes with inexplicable annoyance: “Liu Xiniang, I suspected you were Zhang Jiuran, but I didn’t dare believe it. I’m very disappointed this news was confirmed for me by someone else. Deceiving man after man,” Xie Heng leaned closer, staring at her, “which number am I?”

Luo Wanqing paid no attention to his questioning. She looked back at him frankly: “I am not Zhang Jiuran.”

Xie Heng couldn’t believe it: “You’re still lying to me now?”

“I can swear to heaven,” Luo Wanqing raised her hand, staring straight at Xie Heng, “I—am—not—Zhang Jiuran.”

Author’s Note:

[Mini Theater·1]

Xie Heng: “Wonderful, perfect! You just finished deceiving my junior brother, and now you’re deceiving me. Zhang Jiuran, you female fraud.”

Luo Wanqing: “I’m not Zhang Jiuran.”

Xie Heng: “Ha, you still want to lie? From the beginning, you desperately approached Jiu Shuang, and when you heard me mention Qin Jue, you ran—you were afraid Qin Jue would discover you, right?”

Luo Wanqing: “…It’s a misunderstanding.”

Xie Heng: “You even pretended to be like a Yangzhou lady, just to prevent Qin Jue from discovering you, creating a completely different personality from before, right?”

Luo Wanqing: “…I am a Yangzhou lady.”

Xie Heng: “Your body’s internal energy—you deliberately made it that way so I would reshape your bones. If I hadn’t run fast with Zhuque and the others after bone reshaping, you would have tried to kill me while my internal energy was depleted, right?”

Luo Wanqing: “…I’m not that capable.”

Xie Heng: “I’ve never had a knife held to my throat in my life. You’re the first, and you’re not capable enough? Zhang Jiuran, my junior brother, and I will hate you for life.”

Luo Wanqing: “I swear, I am not Zhang Jiuran…”

[Mini Theater·2]

Zhang Jiuran: “Actually, I’m not smart enough, and my combat power in this story isn’t very top-tier either.”

Luo Wanqing: “At the beginning, I was also just a weakling.”

Zhang Jiuran: “But it doesn’t matter, because we’re such weaklings that they can’t lower their dimensions to our level and completely can’t figure out our thinking.”

Luo Wanqing: “These people who scheme and calculate constantly won’t think that there’s a girl who would sacrifice everything for the rest of her life to fulfill another girl’s life, someone she’s only known for a dozen days.”

Zhang Jiuran: “These overly clever people also won’t think that a girl is willing to completely transform herself for another girl.”

Luo Wanqing: “When I changed faces, I hoped Zhang Jiuran could leave Fengyu Pavilion and live freely. If Luo Wanqing’s identity could let her live well, that would be wonderful.”

Zhang Jiuran: “When I changed faces, I hoped Luo Wanqing could use my identity to get her revenge and have a complete life. If Liu Xiniang’s identity could let her live well, that would be wonderful.”

Luo Wanqing: “They can’t imagine there are people like this.”

Liu Xiniang & Luo Wanqing: “As long as we work hard together, we can beat the masters with wild punches. Let’s go!”