Xie Zhifei’s eyes stared fixedly at her, yet he didn’t say a single word.

Yan Sanhe could see clearly—this person’s pupils were dilated.

What’s wrong with him?

What has he thought of?

Xie Zhifei thought of—

The Zheng family had dogs, and more than one, used to guard the house. Among them was one called Ah Huang—when he was young, he’d even ridden on Ah Huang’s back.

However…

However…

However…

Xie Zhifei’s voice trembled terribly. “In the eighth year of Yonghe, in the Zheng family massacre, not a single dog was left alive.”

“What… what are you… saying? Aye, quick, quick, help me… cough cough cough…”

Zhou Ye rubbed Wu Shunian’s chest while shouting: “Third Master, make yourself clear—I’m begging you!”

“I’ve seen the Zheng family case files.”

Xie Zhifei had completely awakened.

“The files state that in the Zheng household, besides chickens in their coops, ducks in their pens, and cats that scattered in terror—there wasn’t a single survivor. All the dogs were killed.”

Pei Xiao’s entire body stiffened, then his eyes widened dramatically.

“I just thought of something. Huang Qi heard in the old street that the Wu family people don’t eat dog meat. This means the Zheng family case…”

“The Zheng family case definitely has problems.”

Yan Sanhe took over with exceptional calm.

“Dogs were benefactors to the Wu family. The Wu family ancestral instructions forbid killing dogs or eating dog meat. Wu Guanyue jumped into North Cang River and became acquainted with Hu Sanmei—most likely because of this ancestral instruction.

Yet in the Zheng family case, not a single dog was left alive. This means this case couldn’t possibly have been done by the Wu family.”

As the last word fell, Xie Zhifei staggered back several steps.

How could it be wrong?

Four departments working together—the Ministry of Justice, the Court of Judicial Review, the Censorate, the Embroidered Uniform Guard…

It shouldn’t be!

Xie Zhifei’s face showed complete bewilderment. “Wu…”

Before he could finish calling out “Wu,” his expression changed dramatically.

Tears continuously poured from Wu Shunian’s eye corners. Due to agitation, his entire body convulsed spasmodically.

“Aye, Aye…”

“I’m here, Shunian, I’m here!”

“Did… did you… hear? They said… said… it wasn’t our Wu family who did it… it wasn’t our Wu family… our Wu family… is… innocent.”

“Yes, yes, I heard, I heard.”

The corner of Wu Shunian’s mouth twitched, revealing a faint smile.

“I have the face, have the face… to see… see Father now.”

“Yes, yes, yes.”

Wu Shunian gently closed his eyes, barely audibly: “Then… let’s go… home. I’m tired, want to… sleep a while!”

“Alright, let’s go home, we’ll go home.”

Zhou Ye’s hands exerted force, lifting Wu Shunian horizontally. Yet his gaze fell heavily on Yan Sanhe’s face.

“Actually… I especially hoped Miss Yan would ask me another question.”

Yan Sanhe met his gaze, then took a deep breath.

“You didn’t know—I actually very much wanted to ask, but kept holding back. I was afraid you’d mind, didn’t dare ask.”

Zhou Ye’s thin lips pressed into a line as he smiled lightly: “Miss Yan dispels demons for the dead. For you, what wouldn’t you dare?”

Yes, what wouldn’t she dare!

Yan Sanhe asked very directly what was in her heart: “He married a wife and had a son, yet you remain alone. Are you content?”

Zhou Ye didn’t answer but asked instead: “Does Miss Yan have someone she loves?”

“No.” Yan Sanhe shook her head.

“When Miss Yan one day has someone she loves, you’ll understand—there’s a type of person for whom you’d willingly die.”

Yan Sanhe’s chest trembled violently.

Could there be?

Would there be such a person I’d love enough to willingly die for them?

Or such a person who’d love me enough to willingly die for me?

“Third Master!”

Zhou Ye’s eyes were pitch black. “Please accept that jade thumb ring, Third Master. Shunian dislikes owing others anything most—I fear he won’t pass peacefully.”

Xie Zhifei was still immersed in the shock of finding evidence, nodding vacantly: “Oh!”

“Young Master Pei.”

Zhou Ye looked at Pei Xiao with eyes that held the vicissitudes of having seen countless sails. “The Soul Revival Pills are too expensive—lower the price a bit. Noblemen’s lives are lives, but poor people’s lives are also lives.”

“This isn’t something I can decide alone. I’ll go back and discuss it with my father.”

Pei Xiao bit his lip and stamped his foot: “Ai ya, if you need them later, I’ll definitely have them sold to you cheaply.”

“Then it’s settled.”

Zhou Ye raised his head and exhaled lengthily. “You three, mountains and rivers will meet again, but there’s no future date to anticipate. I take my leave!”

Having said this, he smiled faintly, turned while holding the person in his arms, and walked out of the courtyard.

Never looking back again.

Yan Sanhe wasn’t sure if her eyes were playing tricks or if she was overthinking, but she felt Zhou Ye’s smile was indescribably eerie.

…

Once Wu Shunian and his servant left, the black-clothed men also instantly disappeared completely.

The courtyard fell empty. No one spoke. Everyone’s faces looked terrible.

In the short span of a single cup of tea, not only had they discovered the old madam’s inner demon was only half resolved, but Wu Shunian was about to die.

What made it hardest for them to accept was that the Zheng family massacre had another true culprit.

Whoever it was, at this moment, found it difficult to calm their emotions.

Or rather, they were all shocked.

Li Buyan broke the silence: “We should still think about what the old madam’s other half inner demon is.”

Like a basin of ice water poured from head to toe, Pei Xiao shivered. “Right, time waits for no one—we need to return to the capital immediately.”

“We can’t return!”

Xie Zhifei refused decisively. “What if the old madam’s inner demon is still at North Cang River’s edge?”

Still at North Cang River’s edge?

Pei Xiao suddenly lost his sense of direction. “Yan Sanhe, what do you say?”

Yan Sanhe glanced at Xie Zhifei and walked to the grand preceptor chair Wu Shunian had sat in, quietly sitting down.

Lamplight fell upon her face—that face was truly exhausted, with a heavy layer of dark shadows under her eyes, her eyeballs threaded with blood vessels.

She covered her face with her hands and didn’t speak for a long time.

Only now did she realize how deeply an inner chamber woman’s thoughts could hide—so deep that even tracing back to her childhood, her hometown, her childhood sweetheart, there were still places that couldn’t be touched.

No wonder people say: Human hearts are like the sea, bottomless.

Time passed bit by bit. Yan Sanhe removed her hands, opened her eyes, word by word:

“Let’s set out to return to the capital. The old madam’s other half inner demon won’t be at North Cang River’s edge anymore.”

Xie Zhifei was silent for a moment before asking: “Why do you say that?”

“The old madam lived sixty-eight years. She left North Cang River at sixteen. In those sixteen years, only Wu Guanyue left an indelible impression.”

Yan Sanhe pressed on the chair arms and stood up.

“The remaining fifty-two years she lived in the capital—that was the truly long period of time.”

Xie Zhifei wasn’t arguing with her: “But we’ve investigated the capital thoroughly—there’s nothing.”

Yan Sanhe was silent for a moment.

“Perhaps we didn’t investigate carefully enough, deeply enough. Perhaps something was overlooked, neglected by us.”

Xie Zhifei didn’t refute further but gave a slight nod.

“Alright, we’ll follow your judgment.”