Chapter 173: Silver-Haired Culprit (1)

Outside the palace gate.

Zhuo Qing patted Gu Yun's hand and said, "You just wait for us outside the palace."

"Mm." Gu Yun did not refute.

The two looked at each other, and Zhuo Qing suddenly smiled faintly, "Thank you, Yun."

Gu Yun smiled, "Still saying thank you to me?" She actually hadn't done anything at all. Lou Xiyan's imprisonment was originally a trap set by the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. Qing's goal was to save Lou Xiyan immediately, and Yan Hongtian's goal was to weaken the influence of the Western Empress Dowager's family in the court. Each took what they needed; she was at most a bridge, allowing them to sit down and bargain.

Zhuo Qing nodded slowly and smiled, "Good, I won't say it then." Because thank you was not enough to express her gratitude.

"Take care of yourself." This entry into the palace was less about presenting the case to Yan Hongtian and more about a direct confrontation with the Western Empress Dowager. Although she did not agree with them using Bai Yi to forge evidence to frame the Western Empress Dowager, she knew that politics was far more complex than criminal cases.

"I will, don't worry, I don't fight battles I'm not sure of!"

"I know, go." The firm light on Qing's face was beautiful. To save Lou Xiyan, she was probably going all out this time.

Zhuo Qing, Su Ling, and Dan Yulan entered the palace gate. Su Ling suddenly looked back and gave her a deep look. Gu Yun didn't understand what he meant by this.

Gu Yun estimated that the negotiation wouldn't be over for an hour or two. The palace gate was full of guards. Not wanting to stare at them, and not wanting to return to the General's Mansion to wait, Gu Yun walked toward the nearest tavern. Although it was the nearest, it was still some distance from the Imperial Palace. Gu Yun did not ride a horse and walked slowly on the bluestone street, pondering Su Ling's strange behavior these past few days.

It wasn't that he was making things difficult for her. After being held by him and unable to let go that day, Gu Yun learned from her mistakes and was very defensive when facing him, keeping a safe distance. He hadn't lost his composure like that again either. It was just that he would often look at her with a complex gaze, yet coldly remain silent, leaving one confused.

It was already lamp-lighting time, and there were not many people on both sides of the street. Many vendors were packing up their things to go home. Gu Yun's thoughts were somewhat chaotic, and she walked slowly. At this moment, a familiar black shadow walked out of the alley ahead. The sky was dark, and the moonlight was not very bright, but that silver hair, which surpassed the clear radiance, was just as dazzling.

"Ao Tian?" Gu Yun thought of the injury on his hand and was still a bit worried, so she quickened her pace and called out behind him, "Ao Tian, wait a moment."

Far away, the figure paused. Gu Yun thought he had stopped to wait for her and ran toward him. Unfortunately, the black shadow only paused for an instant before quickening his pace and rushing forward.

"Hey?" Gu Yun frowned. Why was he running the more she called him? Ao Tian was indeed very cold and sometimes left her feeling inexplicable, but at this moment, this feeling of anxiousness to escape made Gu Yun suspicious. According to her observations, Ao Tian was not such a panicked person! Had something happened? Her innate curiosity about abnormal events and her intuition as a police officer made her decide to follow and see.

Gu Yun quickened her pace. The black shadow darted left and right, his movements extremely agile. Gu Yun followed with some difficulty, only to see the black shadow flash into an alley on the right and disappear before her eyes. The alley was very dark and was a dead end, piled with some sundries, but the black-clad man was gone.

Gone? Gu Yun's cat-like, keen eyes narrowed, coldly sweeping across the dark alley that looked messy but could easily hide someone.

He must still be here! Gu Yun was puzzled in her heart. Why did Ao Tian want to hide from her? After pondering for a while, she walked into the dark alley with light and extremely cautious steps. The closer she got, the tighter she gripped Ice Lotus. It seemed she sensed the aura of danger, and the Ice Lotus in her hand trembled slightly.

In the deepest part of the dark alley, a cold short arrow flashed with a ghostly blue cold light. It must have been quenched with the most venomous Peacock Feather; as long as the wound touched it, one would surely die. The short arrow slowly aimed at the woman walking slowly closer, full bow...

Just as the short arrow was about to be shot, a black shadow streaked across the night sky, appearing before Gu Yun with extreme speed. Gu Yun subconsciously drew her sword, and the dragon-like sound of Ice Lotus leaving its sheath rang out in the dark alley. The black-clad man behind the short arrow stiffened.

"You are looking for me?"

The low, deep voice, the toneless tone, the cold aura—it was Ao Tian! After he appeared, that bizarre and dangerous aura suddenly dissipated. Retracting her unsheathed sword, Gu Yun said unhappily, "Why were you running just now!"

Ao Tian's tall back enveloped Gu Yun. The short arrow had aimed for a long time but still couldn't find a gap. Ao Tian didn't speak. The light in the dark alley was too dim, and she couldn't see his expression, only hearing that his breathing seemed somewhat chaotic. Was it just because he had run too fast just now?

After a long time, Ao Tian finally said indifferently, "I... had some urgent business. It's too dark here, let's talk after we go out."

Gu Yun was almost dragged out of the dark alley by Ao Tian. The two figures disappeared before their eyes. The black shadow slowly lowered the short bow, and a cold, ruthless light flashed in his bloodthirsty black eyes. Ao Tian, you also know how to care about people? Is she your weakness? The bloodless thin lips curled into a bizarre arc.

Walking back to the street, the light was slightly brighter. Ao Tian's expression was as usual, and Gu Yun didn't ask again, because she understood that if she asked him, he wouldn't answer.

Not forgetting the reason she chased him just now, Gu Yun asked, "Is your injury better? Did you see a doctor?"

"It's already fine." Not beyond Gu Yun's expectations, Ao Tian still said coolly that it was fine. Gu Yun shook her head with amusement and looked at his complexion. Still the pale complexion, the cold attitude—perhaps no change was a good thing. Gu Yun waved her hand and said, "That's good. Seeing you were so anxious just now, you must have had important business. Go ahead and get busy."

Gu Yun turned and was about to leave when Ao Tian's cold, indifferent voice carried a hint of hesitation, finally asking in a low voice, "Are you... still living in the General's Mansion?"

"Mm." Gu Yun nodded and admitted it generously. In her heart, there was nothing that couldn't be said. She answered frankly, but Ao Tian heard it as incredibly grating. His pale, handsome face grew colder, and a flash of self-mockery crossed his icy eyes. So, they were just flirting; it was he who was meddling!

The icy aura on Ao Tian made Gu Yun puzzled. Just as she was about to open her mouth to ask, Ao Tian turned and left coldly again, not even looking at her. Gu Yun stood there awkwardly, took a deep breath, and had the urge to curse loudly. Ao Tian suddenly stopped again and, like any other time, left a sentence with his back to her—"In the future, don't chase after me when you see me."

Gu Yun was still pondering the inexplicable words, and Ao Tian's dark figure disappeared at the end of the street.

What did he mean? Gu Yun was depressed. Why did Ao Tian always give her an inexplicable feeling every time, and then leave? Was he blaming her for chasing him all night? She hadn't done anything, so why did he suddenly become like he had fallen into an ice cave? Su Ling was fickle and overbearing, Ao Tian was emotionally unpredictable and hot and cold—truly unfathomable!

"Ah—" A scream that pierced the sky suddenly rang out, shrill and sharp!

Gu Yun's cold eyes darkened, and her heart tightened abruptly. Intuition told her that something had happened!

Gu Yun ran toward the direction the scream came from. Several people were already standing in front of an alley. Gu Yun approached, and several men dressed as vendors were whispering to each other, their faces full of fear. Beside the stone wall at the entrance of the alley, a young woman was covering her eyes in terror, constantly crying, "Dead... dead person!"

Behind her stood a woman in gorgeous clothes. The woman was leaning against the wall with one hand and stroking her chest with the other. Although she was not as uncomposed as the young woman, her face was pale, and the hand stroking her chest was still trembling slightly. Her eyes were slightly closed, her breathing was chaotic—she looked like she had been scared out of her wits. The woman looked very familiar. Gu Yun thought for a moment and finally remembered; she was the Miss Yu, Yu Handan, who had suggested she choose a jade comb as a gift.

But why was she here? Looking at her appearance, she should have been the first person to discover the crime scene.

Gu Yun narrowed her eyes and looked into the alley. This was not a dead end, but it was only two meters wide. In the middle of the alley lay a young woman, and beside her feet was a crooked lantern. By the light of the lantern, Gu Yun saw the situation in the alley clearly.

The woman lying on the ground was very young, her long hair draped on the ground, and the clothes on her body had been torn into rags. Her naked body was fair and beautiful, and several obvious bruised black marks on her neck were very clear. The woman's eyes were wide open, her tongue was sticking out, and her hands were stiffly bent at her neck. Looking at her like this, she might have been strangled to death, but the heavy smell of blood made her suspicious. When her eyes stopped at the woman's exposed lower body, a cold, biting chill flashed in Gu Yun's cold, icy eyes.

Between the woman's fair legs, there were obvious wounds, and blood was flowing out from there continuously.

Gu Yun's slender fingers clenched into fists, creaking. She took a deep breath for a while before slowly calming the anger in her chest. She coldly observed the crime scene in the dark. A curled-up figure in the darkness seemed to be moving.

"There is still someone alive over there!" Apparently, others had discovered this point. Several bold vendors wanted to go up and investigate, but a slender arm blocked their way, "Don't get close! Go report to the officials!" They didn't know how to protect the crime scene; if they went in, they might take away or leave behind many traces. Moreover, it was hard to guarantee that the murderer wasn't mixed in among the crowd!

The woman's clear, cold voice startled the vendors. Seeing her looking at the hair-raising crime scene, she was so calm that she didn't look like a woman at all. That unquestionable command was hard to disobey. Several people retreated timidly, and one of them ran off in a hurry to report to the officials.

Gu Yun took a lantern from the side and approached the curled-up figure on the ground as carefully as possible. Getting closer, she saw clearly that it was a girl dressed as a maid, her thin body curled up together, trembling constantly, her head buried between her legs, refusing to lift it.

Gu Yun didn't go up to help her, but brought the lantern close to the girl's side, letting both herself and her be enveloped in the light, before saying softly, "Miss, are you okay?"

The girl shrank again, still not daring to move. Gu Yun continued, "I'll take you away from here, okay?"

The girl's body stiffened for a moment, and it was a long time before she slowly lifted her head. The tear stains on her face blurred her young face, and her terrified eyes stared at Gu Yun for a long time, unable to say a word.

Determining that she had seen her clearly, Gu Yun tentatively held the girl's arm. The girl trembled but didn't push her away. Gu Yun used force on her hand and pulled the girl up from the ground. The strong force seemed to make the girl somewhat terrified, and she began to struggle. Gu Yun was afraid she would destroy the crime scene, so she didn't let go and pulled her out of the dark alley. Out of the alley, the light was much brighter, and the girl didn't seem so afraid, but she was still struggling desperately. Gu Yun didn't make things difficult for her this time and let go of her hand. The girl squatted on the ground again, trembling constantly.

Gu Yun half-squatted down and asked indifferently, "Who is the deceased to you? What did you see just now?"

The girl's body stiffened obviously. She held her head with both hands, pulling her own hair tightly, and sobbed, "I... I... blood, so much blood!"

Gu Yun frowned, held the woman's self-harming hands, and continued to ask, "It's fine now, tell me what happened just now?"

The girl kept shaking her head, just unable to speak. Yu Handan, who had finally recovered, looked at Gu Yun's constant questioning and couldn't help but feel a bit of pity. The little girl had already been scared into incoherence, why did she still have to be so aggressive?! Patting the girl's curled-up body, Yu Handan disagreed and said, "She has already been scared like this, why do you still have to force her." Her good upbringing made her accusation sound not very severe.

Gu Yun was speechless. How could she want to force this child, but according to the current situation, she was the only eyewitness to this case; she had to ask. Just at this moment, the Yamen Runners from the government office had arrived. Gu Yun saw Cheng Hang from the Ministry of Justice and was about to stand up to go over and tell him about the situation when the girl at her feet suddenly waved her hands in terror, twisting constantly, and screamed loudly, "Don't kill me! Don't kill me."

(End of Chapter) ===== CHAPTER 174 =====