The next day.
Lady Jin kept her word and came to the Shen residence early in the morning to invite the elderly Yun couple for a stroll in the town.
To search for any clues, Zhu Yan also accompanied them. However, to Zhu Yan’s surprise, as they were walking down the street, the elderly Yun couple suddenly vanished.
It happened in just a moment. Zhu Yan had merely glanced at some trinkets at a street stall, and when she turned back, they had disappeared without a trace.
What was going on?
How could they have vanished so suddenly?
Zhu Yan felt uneasy and quickly sent a servant back to the Shen residence to report, while she and the others continued searching.
Half an hour passed, and not only had they failed to find the elderly Yun couple, but Shen Du also arrived in haste.
“What happened?” Shen Du asked urgently, examining Zhu Yan from head to toe. Seeing her unharmed, he let out a sigh of relief.
Zhu Yan looked guilty and anxious.
“I’m not sure either. We were just walking together on the street, and when I turned around for a moment, they were gone,” Zhu Yan explained anxiously.
At that moment, some passersby came running, “Lord Shen, please come quickly! Someone is being hung and burned at the corner ahead!”
Hearing this, both of them felt their hearts sink. Yun Que was so anxious she was almost in tears, and she immediately ran towards the scene.
Shen Du and Zhu Yan followed closely behind. When they arrived, they saw the elderly Yun couple hanging from a tree, with flames burning beneath them. They were in agony, constantly crying out for help.
The fire wasn’t particularly large, but it wasn’t small either. The onlookers surrounding the scene didn’t dare to step forward to help.
“What are you waiting for? Save them quickly!” Zhu Yan ordered.
Jing Lin immediately went forward to rescue the couple. At that moment, Shen Du noticed a figure moving in the tree.
“Who’s there?” Shen Du called out coldly.
The figure swiftly disappeared like an agile raccoon dog.
Despite the sudden and urgent situation, Zhu Yan managed to catch a glimpse of the person’s face. It was Chen Huoe!
Seeing him again, Zhu Yan had to admit that the phenomenon of returning from the dead had indeed occurred with Chen Huoe.
Shen Du moved incredibly fast, leaping up to pursue Chen Huoe. After exchanging a few moves, Chen Huoe was no match for Shen Du and fled in a panic after being wounded.
At this moment, Zhu Yan suddenly seemed to realize something. With Chen Huoe appearing repeatedly, everyone’s attention was on him, but they had all forgotten about another person.
Thinking of this, Zhu Yan turned and left.
Yun Que had just wanted to help Shen Du but found that the person had already escaped. When she turned back to talk to Zhu Yan, she discovered that Zhu Yan had also left, leaving her alone and at a loss.
Zhu Yan hurried to the prison, only to find Madam Tang still sitting quietly there, showing no signs of having left. This puzzled Zhu Yan. Had she been mistaken again?
Madam Tang sat with her back to Zhu Yan, silent and still. Zhu Yan was confused but felt something was amiss as she was about to leave.
Today, Madam Tang seemed unusually quiet.
Unable to figure it out, Zhu Yan stepped forward to the cell door and asked, looking at Madam Tang’s back, “Are you alright?”
Madam Tang didn’t respond. Zhu Yan noticed something unusual about her. After not seeing her for some time, the woman seemed to have lost a lot of weight.
Her silhouette looked more slender, and overall, it gave Zhu Yan a very strange feeling. She sensed something was off.
Again, there was no response to her question. Zhu Yan turned to the jailer and asked for the cell key, then entered.
“Why is it you?”
Zhu Yan’s heart raced, her temples throbbing. The person before her wasn’t Madam Tang at all, but a dazed Qi Yeyun!
Qi Yeyun was in a semi-confused state, his eyes half-closed as if he were both asleep and awake. Zhu Yan quickly went up to him, patting his face and calling out, “Qi Yeyun, are you alright?”
“I am Madam Tang, I am Madam Tang…” Qi Yeyun mumbled as if possessed.
Zhu Yan now realized the gravity of the situation. She pressed several of Qi Yeyun’s acupoints, but he showed no reaction. She took out a copper whistle strung on a red cord and waved it in front of Qi Yeyun’s eyes. Gradually, Qi Yeyun’s gaze was drawn to the whistle, his eyes converging to focus on it.
“Qi Yeyun?! Wake up!”
But Qi Yeyun still showed no response.
This couldn’t be possible. This was the mind-bewitching technique used in the Western Regions. Zhu Yan, having investigated cases for years and often accompanying the Local Constable to the Western Region quarters, had learned a bit about it. But judging from Qi Yeyun’s reaction, Zhu Yan’s brow furrowed. Could it be that Qi Yeyun wasn’t under the Western Region’s mind-bewitching technique, but rather the ancient Central Plains’ Zhuyou technique?
The Zhuyou technique had long been lost. Zhu Yan had only read about it in ancient texts. Zhuyou, meaning to cure illness by addressing its cause, included prohibitory methods, incantations, prayers, and talisman techniques. It dates back to the time of Tang of Shang and was similar to the practices of shamans and priests, used for both healing and blessing through talismans and incantations, covering a wide range of applications.
But in modern times, with figures like Hua Tuo and Sun Simiao, the Zhuyou technique has diverged. One branch focused on healing, while the other specialized in talismans and blessings. Some used it for mind-bewitching techniques to confuse people. Zhu Yan couldn’t believe that Qi Yeyun was under the influence of the Zhuyou technique. But with the involvement of a monster like Chen Huoe, anything seemed possible.
Zhu Yan grew increasingly uneasy. Although she knew about this technique, she didn’t know how to break it. Looking at Qi Yeyun’s blank, possessed expression, her mind was in turmoil, a thousand thoughts racing through her head, yet she was utterly helpless.
A yamen runner hurriedly reported, “Princess Runing has arrived.”
Zhu Yan turned her head, wondering why Princess Runing would come to the prison. Hadn’t she detached herself from worldly affairs? What could be in this prison that was worth Princess Runing making this trip?
Princess Runing entered the prison. Upon seeing Qi Yeyun’s condition, she stepped forward without a word and broke the illusion for him.
“Princess Runing, I don’t understand…”
Princess Runing waved her hand, silencing Zhu Yan with a single glance. Looking at Princess Runing again, in her plain clothes, she appeared otherworldly. That fierce look in her eyes from a moment ago seemed like a dream.
The first thing Qi Yeyun did upon regaining consciousness was to grab Zhu Yan’s clothes, crying out in panic, “Master, Madam Tang has escaped, she’s escaped!”
Zhu Yan was full of resignation. She patted Qi Yeyun’s shoulder to comfort him and calmly said, “I already know. You just need to tell me how you fell under her illusion.”
Qi Yeyun looked ashamed.
“I’ve been coming to see her often these days, feeling there were still some suspicious points about her. Because Master said the previous case wasn’t truly over, I wanted to find some clues from her. I didn’t expect to be so foolish. Not only did I fail to help, but I was also used by her. I’m truly useless.”
“You were just trying to help. It’s not your fault,” Zhu Yan consoled him.
She turned to Princess Runing and bowed, “Thank you, Princess, for your timely assistance. If you hadn’t arrived in time…”
Zhu Yan looked at Princess Runing expectantly.
“I am no longer a princess, just a commoner in blue robes. This matter is not worth mentioning. Since everything is settled, I shall take my leave.”
Princess Runing didn’t take Zhu Yan’s hint. She brushed off the matter, said some words about “Amitabha” and “saving all sentient beings,” then turned and left.