They currently had no leads on the Half-Faced Ghost. Their only progress – the murderer in the headless corpse case – had been killed, rendering their efforts futile.
This only deepened their curiosity about the Half-Faced Ghost’s identity. It was as if this figure had appeared out of thin air and vanished just as mysteriously.
“Ghosts and spirits can’t possibly exist in this world,” Pan Chi suddenly remarked, seemingly out of nowhere. “Even if they did, it would be a creation of the human mind. If anyone claims to have seen one, it must be an illusion. They absolutely cannot exist in reality.”
His abrupt statement, though disconnected, sparked a realization in Shen Du and Zhu Yan.
“Chen Huoe!” exclaimed Shen Du.
“Lai Luofu!” Zhu Yan cried out simultaneously.
Though they uttered different names, they referred to the same person.
Pan Chi, as if struck by the same thought, slapped the table. “Of course! How could I have forgotten about her?”
Zhu Yan sank into deep contemplation, her brows furrowed. “If that’s the case after Lai Luozhi protected her, did she rush to Yingzhou to commit crimes? But our journey to Gannan was on the Empress’s direct orders. Isn’t this a blatant challenge to us?”
Zhu Yan’s words carried profound implications. Shen Du remained silent, seemingly lost in thought.
“Let’s call it a day,” Pan Chi suddenly stood up and walked towards the door. He cast a meaningful glance at Shen Du before leaving. “Everyone’s been up all night and must be exhausted. Go rest and regain your energy before we discuss the case further.”
Seeing Pan Chi leave, Zhu Yan felt confused. They were on the verge of a breakthrough, yet he chose to leave so abruptly.
Shen Du’s face remained dark, saying nothing. It was then that Zhu Yan seemed to understand something.
Both cases were related to the Lai clan. Further investigation might only result in more innocent lives lost rather than capturing the true culprit.
Finding scapegoats was their usual method. It was chilling how they treated human lives so casually.
Unable to find words to comfort Shen Du, Zhu Yan stood up, preparing to return to her room.
But just as she took a few steps, Shen Du suddenly called out to her.
“Where are you going?”
Zhu Yan shrugged, feigning nonchalance. “Back to my room to rest, of course. What else? I haven’t slept all night and I’m exhausted. Aren’t you tired?”
Reminded by Zhu Yan, Shen Du rubbed his forehead, realizing he too had a slight headache. He had completely overlooked this while pondering the case.
“Let’s go rest for a while together,” he said.
Without waiting for Zhu Yan’s response, he took her hand and led her out of the back hall.
After resting for the entire morning, they finally regained some strength.
After lunch, Zhu Yan and Shen Du went out to the streets together, hoping to stumble upon unexpected clues.
They hadn’t gone far when they suddenly encountered a group of people who seemed to be deliberately trying to attract their attention, arguing loudly ahead.
As the two drew closer, the volume of the argument increased. Just as they were about to pass by, the group suddenly started pushing one of their members, blocking Shen Du and Zhu Yan’s path.
The person caught off guard, fell to the ground. Upon seeing Shen Du and Zhu Yan, he suddenly grabbed Shen Du’s leg and began wailing, “My lord, you must help me! These people are bullying me without reason!”
Zhu Yan’s lips twitched, finding the scene before her extremely awkward.
Shen Du’s face darkened, clearly wanting to kick away the person clinging to his leg. But as more onlookers gathered, he suppressed his anger and said, “We have important matters to attend to and no time to waste here with you. Let go of me immediately.”
Shen Du’s intimidation had little effect. The person on the ground continued to cry and plead, “Even if you won’t intervene, my lord, at least judge who’s right and wrong! I can’t let them bully me like this!”
“In such situations, you should go to the magistrate’s office. Magistrate Mo will surely help you. What’s the point of blocking our way?” Zhu Yan questioned, equally perplexed.
At this moment, the person on the ground suddenly seemed to have an epiphany. With a look of realization, he exclaimed, “Oh, right! I could just go to the magistrate’s office and have Magistrate Mo handle this. Why did I stop you?”
Hearing this, everyone present nearly dropped their jaws in disbelief. This person’s mental faculties seemed questionable.
Just as Shen Du was about to lose his temper, he suddenly looked up and spotted a familiar figure hurriedly walking by in the distance.
Zhu Yan noticed too. It was none other than Ji Dafu.
At that moment, Ji Dafu was not only in a rush but also tightly clutching a bundle to his chest, as if hiding something.
“Stop right there!” Zhu Yan shouted coldly as she burst out of the crowd. Shen Du, no longer concerned about his anger, quickly gave chase.
Shen Du quickly overtook Zhu Yan. Just as she was about to call out to him, the group that had been arguing suddenly blocked her path. “My lady, please wait. Could you tell us where the magistrate’s office is?”
Zhu Yan was about to give directions when she realized something was amiss. These people didn’t know where the magistrate’s office was, yet they recognized her and addressed her as “my lady.”
Her eyes darkened, but before she could say anything, something like a token fell from one of the men’s person.
Zhu Yan looked closer and was surprised to find that the token was very similar to the one Xu Xiangren had given her.
Meanwhile, Ji Dafu hadn’t gone far before Shen Du caught up with him.
“Where are you rushing off to in such a hurry?” Shen Du asked coldly. Ji Dafu’s expression grew even more panicked.
“N-nowhere… I just came out to run some errands and was heading home,” he stammered.
“Is that so?” Shen Du glanced at the bundle in Ji Dafu’s arms and continued, “What’s in the bundle?”
“Nothing, just some personal belongings,” Ji Dafu replied, glancing around nervously. He then stepped closer and lowered his voice, “To be honest, I have something I need to discuss with you, my lord. Fortunately, I’ve run into you here. Could we speak privately?”
Shen Du frowned. This person’s suspicious behavior and sudden willingness to talk seemed odd. Could there be some sort of plot afoot?
…
“Who exactly are you people?” Noticing the strange behavior of the group before her, Zhu Yan decided not to pursue Ji Dafu and instead questioned those blocking her path.
“We’re just visitors from out of town. We have matters to attend to, so we won’t bother you further,” one of them replied. With that, the group hurriedly departed, but notably not in the direction of the magistrate’s office.
As the crowd of onlookers gradually dispersed, treating the earlier scene as mere street theater, only Zhu Yan felt that something was amiss.
The group hadn’t gone far before turning into an alley. Without hesitation, Zhu Yan gave chase.