As Zhu Yan stood beside the witness’s corpse, she found herself at a loss on how to proceed.
Her mind was in turmoil, unable to comprehend the day’s events. From the moment she first saw the witness, he had been fleeing. Why was he running? Had the murderer threatened him?
Moreover, why was his escape route heading towards Mingsheng Temple? That was where the Imperial Princess practiced cultivation. Or was this all arranged by the killer? If so, what was their purpose?
Was it simply to make the Imperial Princess believe she had seen someone commit murder, to get herself imprisoned?
Unable to make sense of it all, Zhu Yan decided to set aside these perplexing thoughts for now and focus on examining the body.
As she bent down, she suddenly caught a whiff of a peculiar fragrance.
Carefully using tweezers, Zhu Yan pulled at the corpse’s clothing and sniffed closely. Surprisingly, the scent was emanating from the body itself.
Upon further inspection, Zhu Yan came to a shocking conclusion – the corpse exhibited signs of having been dead for quite some time!
But how could this be possible? When she had awakened from her vision, this man had spoken to her. She had watched with her own eyes as he closed his eyes!
Zhu Yan was frightened by her deduction. Even if she had been under an illusion at the time, this person had certainly died after she regained consciousness. So why did he now show signs of having been dead for much longer? How had the killer accomplished this?
And what about this fragrance? What kind of substance could it be?
Zhu Yan grew increasingly perplexed, unable to fathom what kind of drug in this world could bring a person back from the dead.
Apart from divine intervention, she couldn’t imagine any medical skill advanced enough to achieve such a feat.
It was simply impossible!
Zhu Yan stared blankly at the corpse, her mind in utter chaos. This case seemed even more bizarre than the previous one, leaving her completely baffled.
What was going on? Who could make a corpse come back to life? Why did Madam Tang keep muttering those strange incantations?
And how had Chen Huoe managed to resurrect?
It was all too outlandish.
As Zhu Yan pondered these unanswerable questions, she suddenly realized the room had grown considerably darker.
The sun was about to set; another day had passed without her noticing. Time truly flew.
Since she couldn’t make sense of it all, Zhu Yan decided to stop trying. She turned and left.
Upon returning to Shen Manor, Zhu Yan sat in Shen Du’s study, waiting. Her mind was filled with too many questions, and she had grown accustomed to discussing such matters with Shen Du. Now, she was eager to share these perplexing thoughts with him, but no matter how long she waited, he didn’t appear.
Zhu Yan stood up and walked to the door. Night had fallen completely, yet he still hadn’t returned.
Her mind began to wander. Could something have happened to him? Or was he perhaps spending time with Yunque somewhere?
“No, no, no…” Zhu Yan muttered to herself, shaking her head vigorously. “What am I thinking? Shen Du isn’t that kind of person.”
She let out a long sigh. Considering how late it was, she thought he would likely be cold and exhausted when he returned. She should make some preparations.
With this in mind, she was about to leave when she suddenly noticed a figure approaching in the distance.
Could it be him?
As the person drew closer, Zhu Yan confirmed it was indeed Shen Du.
Shen Du glanced at her but said nothing. As they passed each other, Zhu Yan suddenly caught a scent.
This smell was oddly familiar as if she had encountered it somewhere before, but she couldn’t quite place it.
She first ruled out the scents of brothels and taverns, then her thoughts turned to various temples and Taoist halls.
Mingsheng Temple!
The name flashed through her mind – that was it.
She had visited Mingsheng Temple earlier that day and had noticed a unique fragrance there. It was a special incense made from particular materials.
When burned, it had a peculiar aroma that seemed to penetrate one’s very being, bringing a sense of peace to the heart.
Why had Shen Du gone there? Could he have been seeking information from the Imperial Princess?
Zhu Yan quickly turned around. Shen Du had already seated himself at the desk, appearing to search for something.
“Did you go to Mingsheng Temple?” she asked.
Shen Du remained silent, continuing to search as if he hadn’t heard her.
“I’m talking to you. Answer me!” Zhu Yan grew impatient, pressing her hand on the book Shen Du was flipping through and fixing him with a scrutinizing gaze. “Did you go to Mingsheng Temple? Did you see the Imperial Princess? What did she tell you?”
Shen Du looked at the woman before him coldly, giving up his search. “It’s none of your concern,” he said.
Zhu Yan was furious, recognizing from his tone that he was still angry.
Just as she was about to lose her temper, she seemed to think of something and nodded calmly. “Fine, it’s none of my concern, is it? You just wait and see.”
With that, Zhu Yan turned and left.
Shen Du wanted to call out to her but felt too proud to do so. He swallowed the words that had almost escaped his lips.
It was already dark outside. Where could she be going? Would she encounter any danger?
Such a troublesome woman.
Without much further thought, Shen Du also stood up and walked out of the room. But by the time he reached the courtyard, Zhu Yan had vanished.
“Jinglin,” Shen Du called out coldly. Jinglin appeared behind him. “Grand Coordinator.”
“Where is the Madam?”
“Madam went in the direction of the kitchen.”
Hearing Jinglin’s answer, Shen Du furrowed his brow. Could it be that this woman hadn’t eaten dinner yet?
Come to think of it, he hadn’t eaten either. Perhaps he could go there now and have her prepare a bowl for him.
As he approached the kitchen, he could see Zhu Yan’s busy figure amidst the swirling smoke.
At first glance, she truly looked the part of a virtuous wife and loving mother.
His stomach was indeed quite empty. Walking up to the kitchen window, he saw two bowls and plates set out on the stove.
The corners of his mouth turned up involuntarily. It seemed this woman had already prepared for him.
Thinking this, he decided not to disturb her and returned to the room to wait.
About half a cup of tea’s time later, Zhu Yan brought two bowls of chicken noodle soup to the room.
“You’ve returned so late, you must not have eaten, right? Would you like a bowl?” she asked.
As she said this, Zhu Yan had already sat down unceremoniously and begun to eat.
Shen Du looked up at her. Though his attitude was poor, filling his stomach was the priority.
He sat down beside her and was about to start eating when he noticed Zhu Yan reaching for the chicken in front of him.
She began to debone the chicken, her eyes unusually deep, as if her mind were elsewhere.
“Something’s not right…” Zhu Yan muttered to herself. “Why can’t I figure it out?”
Shen Du frowned. He used his chopsticks to pick up a piece of chicken, but just as he was about to eat it, Zhu Yan snatched it away with her mouth.
Zhu Yan seemed completely unaware of how inappropriate this was. Shen Du was utterly stunned, suddenly feeling his face grow hot.
This woman truly disregarded everything when pondering a case, even neglecting her meal.
Shen Du sighed helplessly. Just as he was about to eat again, Zhu Yan furrowed her brow, chewing and thinking aloud, “Fresh meat should have this kind of elasticity, so why were they all shriveled?”