Chapter 186: Gu Yun

The slightly trembling voice didn't sound like his, making Gu Yun's heart ache fiercely. She didn't understand why, but she suddenly wanted to explain to him, "I am not willing to die for anyone. I am doing this just to address this matter. Yan Hongtian has already ordered that if the culprit is not found before the celebration, Ao Tian will die, while the real culprit is still at large and making waves. I don't know what you all think, but in my world, only two colors are tolerated: black or white. Ao Tian didn't kill anyone, and Ye Mei didn't throw explosives. They are innocent, so they shouldn't die!"

She wasn't doing this because of Ao Tian! Gu Yun's explanation seemed to move the giant stone pressing on Su Ling's heart.

"They shouldn't die, so you are going to die? Is this your way of investigating the case?" Su Ling was almost angered to death by her. His cultivation and demeanor vanished at this moment. The thunderous roar made Gu Yun's eardrums ring slightly. Su Ling started roaring again. Gu Yun was also a bit angry and roared back at him, "There is only one hour left; what other way do you want me to think of! And from beginning to end, I never said I was going to die."

"Thrust through the heart and still not die..." Cheng Hang whispered, but hurriedly shut up under Lv Jin's glare. When his eyes swept over Ao Tian, he was startled. Ao Tian, who was usually cold and cool about everything, had a face that was pale and then green, and his aura also seemed unstable. His cold black eyes stared at Gu Yun without blinking.

"Ling, you say!" They all knew that Zhuo Qing knew the human body's organs very well, and what she said was more authoritative.

Zhuo Qing supported her forehead with a headache. She must have been crazy to agree to Gu Yun's request, but if she didn't agree, she was afraid Gu Yun would mess around. Although her heart was in a mess, her many years of forensic career still allowed her to explain Gu Yun's intention calmly. "The human heart is located between the two lungs, half an inch inside the mid-clavicular line in the fifth intercostal space of the left anterior chest wall. The front and top of the heart are adjacent to the sternum and costal cartilage, the back is the esophagus and thoracic aorta, and the bottom is close to the diaphragm. Every time the heart beats and contracts, a tiny gap will form between it and the diaphragm. If you can grasp this time and gap to thrust a sword into the chest cavity, then it will look like the sword is thrust through the heart, but in fact, it doesn't really damage the heart."

This explanation from Zhuo Qing didn't make Su Ling feel at ease; instead, it made him even more terrified! It looked like a sword thrust through the heart. How narrow that so-called gap was and how close it was to the heart—Su Ling understood without Zhuo Qing needing to say more.

But who could know how the heart beat, and who could accurately capture the short moment of heart contraction? If this sword was off by a little bit... Su Ling took a deep breath secretly and asked coldly, "What if this sword doesn't hit accurately?"

Zhuo Qing raised her head slowly and replied with difficulty but clearly, "Death is certain."

"Enough!" A roar shocked everyone's hearts. Looking at Ao Tian standing at the door, his black eyes were bloodshot, erupting with bloodthirsty light, and his silver hair was flying wildly. In the night, he was like a trapped beast, seemingly ready to bite, crazy!

They had never seen such an Ao Tian before, and everyone couldn't help but take a small step back.

Ao Tian suddenly turned his head and stared fiercely at Gu Yun with dark red eyes. At this time, Ao Tian's whole body seemed to be covered with thorns. Su Ling turned sideways and protected Gu Yun tightly behind him. Fortunately, Ao Tian didn't approach again. His hoarse voice lacked his usual cold arrogance and was almost roaring, "Qing Mo, listen to me clearly: my business doesn't need you to manage, and it doesn't need you to trade your life for it! Whether it's life or death, it's our Ao family's business, and no one is allowed to interfere!"

After speaking, Ao Tian was about to rush out. The group of people surrounding him finally came to their senses and were about to surround him again.

"Get lost!" With a low roar, the pure black Ciling soft sword was unsheathed, just like its master, full of cold light. The silver-white hair moved without wind, and the dark pupil color was dark red like blood, making him look indescribably enchanting.

"Ao Tian, stand still. Listen to me finish, and I won't stop you if you want to leave." Ao Tian was clearly driven crazy by his own powerlessness and inability to deal with the situation. If he were allowed to go out like this, the result would absolutely be mutual destruction! Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Gu Yun said calmly, "There is one hour left until the Zi hour. Let's deploy properly, and we will definitely win. But if you don't want to, I won't force you. At the Zi hour, I will still appear at the location specified by Ao Ji today, and everything will still proceed according to my plan. The difference is that if you participate, our chances of winning will be greater, Ye Mei can be saved, and the case can be solved. If you don't participate, I will thrust this sword myself. Anyway, Ao Ji's purpose is to have me die in front of you, but the risk of doing so will be greater, and the plan may fail."

Ao Tian's wild aura didn't change, and he snorted coldly, "I won't thrust that sword, and I won't let you self-mutilate!"

Gu Yun's eyes narrowed, and a fierce look flashed in her pupils. The words she spoke were cold and emotionless, "Then do you want to be framed forever? Willing to be framed? Or do you want to watch Ye Mei lose her hands and feet and become a cripple from now on? Aren't you afraid that when you find her, she will already be a cold corpse? She is your only relative; why won't you save her?"

Zhuo Qing sighed secretly. Yun was so ruthless. After the self-mutilation trick failed at the beginning, she used his most cherished relative to threaten him. Who could bear to see their only relative turn into a cold corpse? Even Mo Bai's face turned green when he heard Gu Yun's words, let alone Ao Tian, who was almost going crazy!

Sure enough, Ao Tian stroked the crimson long whip at his waist. In his mind, the beautiful face under the golden mask kept flashing, that faint smile that few people had ever seen but was indifferent and beautiful, and he remembered the warmth of snuggling together in the lonely and terrifying nights of his childhood.

And now, he had no way to save her! He closed his dark eyes in pain, but he couldn't drive away the image of Ye Mei without blood and with a damaged body!

Gu Yun was very good at seizing the opportunity. When Ao Tian's heart was filled with family affection and helplessness, she asked, "Since I dare to propose this plan, it means I am confident in it. I am asking you now: will you participate or not?"

For a long time, as if all his strength had been drained, the hand holding the long sword dropped unconsciously, and a hoarse voice said powerlessly, "What do you want me to do!"

Ao Tian finally compromised. Gu Yun breathed a sigh of relief secretly. Zhuo Qing glared at Gu Yun fiercely. Detective psychology was really not learned in vain! Gu Yun curled her lips.

Zhuo Qing looked at the sky and said, "If this operation is confirmed, let's start preparing quickly. State your plan and deployment." Based on Gu Yun's past style, she would propose a plan that must have been thought out on how to deploy. There was only one hour left; she hoped it was in time.

"I don't agree!" Before Gu Yun could speak, Su Ling's deep voice carried obvious anger. He said with full momentum, "Thirty thousand soldiers of the Su Family Army are stationed in the capital. I don't believe that digging three feet into the ground won't find Ye Mei!" She insisted on gambling with her own life?

Gu Yun started to have a headache, and her mood became a bit irritable. She had just persuaded Ao Tian, and Su Ling started making trouble with her again. Time was really running out, and she didn't want to waste time explaining anymore. Her tone was somewhat heavy, "The celebration is approaching. If you make such a big move, do you still want Qiongyue's face? Even if you really find Ye Mei, if you can't catch the scene of Ao Ji kidnapping people and framing others, how will this case be concluded?" What she wanted was more than just finding Ye Mei! Although what Gu Yun said was absolutely the truth, Su Ling was still angered to the point of a livid face by Gu Yun's words.

"Su Ling." A clear voice interrupted the impending roar between the two. Zhuo Qing said lightly, "Come out for a moment; I have something to tell you."

Su Ling and Gu Yun frowned at the same time. Su Ling was suspicious, but still followed the clear and beautiful figure out of the courtyard. Under the moonlight, the two stood opposite each other. Zhuo Qing had her back to Gu Yun. Gu Yun couldn't see what she was saying, but only saw Su Ling's expression change from solemn to anxious to panicked. Panicked? How could this expression appear on Su Ling's face? Gu Yun was still puzzled when Zhuo Qing finished speaking and returned to the study. Su Ling followed silently behind her, his expression complex and hard to fathom.

Gu Yun gave Zhuo Qing a "what's going on" look. Zhuo Qing ignored her and just replied, "You continue."

Gu Yun glanced at Su Ling sideways, only to see him standing aside with his head lowered, not knowing what he was thinking, but he actually didn't object anymore. She was secretly curious about what Qing had told him that could make him change his mind in just a few words?

Time was pressing, and now was not the time to ask. Gu Yun started to deploy personnel, "Although we didn't find Ye Mei during the day, we found one of Ao Ji's lairs, which shows our thinking is still correct. Cheng Hang, you take people to squat near the West City Gate. Lv Jin, you are responsible for the cloth market in the south of the city."

"Okay!" Both nodded at the same time without objection.

"The place we are going to at the Zi hour is Xiaoshan. Leng Xiao, you take people to guard the North Gate near Xiaoshan. Be very careful and don't alert the enemy."

"Yes." Leng Xiao, needless to say, obeyed unconditionally.

"Among us, except for Ao Tian, Mo Bai and Su Ling have the highest martial arts. Tonight, you two will follow Ao Tian and me to see Ao Ji. After Ao Tian thrusts his sword, Ao Ji should take him to see Ye Mei. Mo Bai, you are responsible for tracking Ao Tian and them, leaving signals along the way. Ge Jingyun, you are responsible for collecting these signals and handing them to Lord Dan, who will dispatch manpower to surround and attack them. We must catch them all in one net. Su Ling, you are responsible for returning to join Lord Dan after handing me over to my sister. After all, the troops in your hands are more sufficient."

Su Ling still stood there, neither saying okay nor objecting.

Gu Yun's brows were deeply locked. What was wrong with Su Ling? Lou Xiyan's phoenix eyes flashed with realization, as if he had guessed what his wife had told Su Ling. He replied with a gentle voice and a faint smile, "The Lou family has a villa near Xiaoshan. It is closer for General Su to send people there."

Su Ling raised his eyes slightly, exchanged glances with Lou Xiyan, and then turned away again, his expression consistently unfathomable. Gu Yun had no energy to guess the undercurrents between them at this moment and asked everyone, "Does anyone have any opinions?"

The study was silent for a long time, and no one answered. Gu Yun found it a bit funny. What was wrong with them? She wasn't necessarily going to die!

"If there are no objections, then follow the plan and prepare separately." Zhuo Qing pointed to Ao Tian, who looked calm, and Gu Yun behind him, and said, "You two come with me."

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 187 =====