Chapter 416: Blade Cold, Emotion Hollow and Chill

Jin Ling, Qingyin Pavilion.

After bidding Jia Cong farewell, Zou Min'er returned alone to the inner courtyard; at the gate, the guarding matron smiled and opened it for her.

On the way, Zou Min'er was distracted; today, meeting Jia Cong, she felt he had changed from his usual self.

In her mind, that hot, joyful gaze kept appearing—as if Jia Cong had been staring at her all along.

Her heart grew hot, her whole body dazed, swept along by an unusual emotion.

They had been together only because of imperial decree, as colleagues sharing duties, aiding each other, each seeking what they needed.

Between her and Jia Cong, the sharp, painful past had left an unerasable rift and emotional knot.

As they spent more time together and adapted, for their own purposes, that hard, stubborn knot had temporarily receded into an inconspicuous corner—but it had not faded.

Sometimes she wondered: if, on that day in Zi Yun Pavilion, when they first met, none of those tangled, brutal events had followed, how would things be now?

But there are no "ifs" in this world—only human greed and cruelty, and the cold, harshness of the world.

The passion and longing born from youth and aspiration, from the very soul, would ultimately be buried under the weight of harsh reality, never to see daylight again.

She knew Jia Cong, though young, possessed a mind and depth uncommon for his age; he understood perfectly the unspoken entanglement between them.

So every time he faced her, he maintained necessary calm and distance—they were like familiar strangers, and that was precisely right for them.

But today he had suddenly become extraordinary; the heat and joy in his gaze, Zou Min'er understood what it meant.

Even if it was merely a sudden impulse born of upheaval, it felt precious to her, because it proved something real had existed, though she had not noticed it.

Zou Min'er walked alone along the long, winding corridor of the inner courtyard, thoughts surging uncontrollably; the hard, heavy knot in her heart seemed to be slowly softening…

But then the scene of the Zou household flashed in her mind: under heavy military siege, her father had drawn his blade swiftly, blood splattering across the lavish red banquet of his birthday celebration!

A deep sense of betrayal and guilt, like Mount Sumeru pressing down on a mustard seed, crushed her heart—every tender feeling she had just felt vanished like a tide receding.

…

Evening was near, the time when Qingyin Pavilion's banquets and music reached their peak; most of the courtesans residing in the inner courtyard had gone out to entertain guests.

The entire inner courtyard was silent; the corridor leading to her room seemed unnaturally long, as if it had no end.

Zou Min'er's mind was elsewhere, absentminded—she did not notice someone silently following behind her…

Just as she reached her door, unlocked it with her key, and was about to step inside…

Suddenly someone grabbed her from behind, strong arms circling her neck, a palm clamping tightly over her mouth; she had no time to struggle before being dragged into the room.

Zou Min'er smelled a scent of powder behind her; the soft, plump chest pressed against her back—before she could fully recover from shock, she realized her captor was a woman.

Lightning-fast, heavy blows struck various parts of her body, each one piercing her with agony, instantly paralyzing her; she collapsed helplessly onto the floor.

Her captor tore off her sleeve and stuffed it into her mouth.

Lying on the floor, she forced her head up to see her captor's face.

The woman stood before Zou Min'er, looking down at her, eyes filled with cold killing intent.

Zou Min'er was filled with dread; the woman was tall and upright, dressed as a maid of Qingyin Pavilion.

And Zou Min'er had seen her before—just moments ago, on the third-floor private chamber, Jia Cong had bumped into her as she carried a tray.

She endured the pain, her mind full of confusion: why would a maid from Qingyin Pavilion suddenly attack her?

She suddenly recalled: ever since Wu Sao recognized her identity, Jia Cong had grown anxious for her safety and had repeatedly urged her to move into his household.

She had just agreed to move to Xinglong Fang tomorrow—she had not expected to be too late, to miss escaping this danger.

…

The strange maid was confident in her technique; she merely stuffed Zou Min'er's mouth and ignored her thereafter.

Zou Min'er watched as she quietly closed the door and began searching her room.

Her search method was peculiar—she left no inch unexamined, even prying up several floorboards.

Yet after searching each spot, she meticulously restored everything to its original place, leaving no trace of disturbance.

Zou Min'er had served in Zhongche Office for some time and, under Du Du Qingniang's tutelage, had developed sharp eyes and insight.

The maid's swift, brutal technique in subduing her, and her method of searching the room, were far beyond those of ordinary thieves or bandits.

They surpassed even the most elite veteran spies of Zhongche Office.

She had seen the maid's face—someone like her would not leave a witness alive…

Zou Min'er was no longer the frail daughter of a noble family she had once been; these past years of harsh trials had hardened her heart.

Yet she was still young, and fear of death remained innate.

As the maid methodically searched every corner of the room, Zou Min'er was gradually engulfed by overwhelming terror, her mind going blank.

She forced herself to steady her thoughts, recalling Jia Cong's hot, joyful gaze from the third-floor chamber—a warm current that quickly calmed her.

…

At that moment, the maid opened Zou Min'er's wardrobe and began rummaging through it, pulling out each garment one by one.

After carefully feeling each piece, she laid them neatly on the bed, as if afraid of wrinkling them.

Zou Min'er realized: she intended to inspect the clothes thoroughly, then return them exactly as they were, leaving no sign of the search.

Then the maid pulled out a tiger-patterned jade belt from the wardrobe; Zou Min'er's eyes widened slightly.

This belt was her most precious possession; back in Zi Yun Pavilion, both she and Jia Cong had coveted it, and in the end, Jia Cong had given it to her.

Over these years, wherever she went, whatever her circumstances, she always kept this belt close.

Moreover, she had hidden something inside it—something of unknown origin but of utmost importance.

No matter the motive, she did not want the maid to damage the belt or discover what lay within.

But the maid's blunt strikes on her body were strange—not only causing pain, but completely paralyzing her limbs.

With all her strength, she wriggled her limp body slightly on the floor, feigning casual glances toward the desk in the room.

Beneath the desk's bottom lay a hidden compartment—she had also concealed something there.

But under the current circumstances, she felt the item in the desk's compartment was less critical than the tiger-patterned jade belt.

Zou Min'er's movement immediately caught the maid's attention.

She quickly noticed the abnormal direction of Zou Min'er's gaze and followed it to the desk.

She let out a low, mocking laugh, her voice husky and magnetic, then tossed the jade belt aside.

Walking to the desk, she ran her hands over its surface, quickly discovering the hidden compartment.

Zou Min'er saw her draw a short, gleaming blade—neither knife nor sword, yet razor-sharp.

With a slight lever of the blade, the compartment popped open.

Seeing this, Zou Min'er secretly exhaled; the maid had found the compartment—this would be enough to make her overlook the jade belt.

…

The compartment held several Zhongche Office secret reports and a Zhongche Office identity iron plaque belonging to Zou Min'er.

The maid seized them like treasure, swiftly scanning the stack of secret reports.

Finally, she examined the iron plaque for a moment, then whispered a laugh—cold and chilling.

"If Zou Zou Huaiyi knew his daughter had become a Zhongche Office spy, I wonder what he'd think."

Zou Min'er's heart froze; this maid knew her identity—she must be connected to Wu Sao.

"The master has always wondered why you consorted with Jia Cong. Now that you're a Zhongche spy, everything makes sense."

Zou Min'er's blood ran cold; the "master" this woman spoke of—was she referring to the surviving remnants of the old Water Surveillance Office case, or its hidden mastermind?

The maid returned the reports and iron plaque to the desk's compartment, then carefully restored it to its original state.

She turned, lifted Zou Min'er, and helped her sit against the bedframe.

Zou Min'er saw her long face, delicate features; though her eyes were not large, they gleamed with sharp, cruel intensity.

She raised the short blade, holding it against Zou Min'er's neck, and asked in a low, sinister tone: "Did your father leave you the Water Surveillance Office's secret ledger? Where did he hide it?"

"If you tell me the truth, I'll let you live."

Zou Min'er's eyes flickered slightly; so this woman had kidnapped her for her father's Water Surveillance Office secret ledger.

Though she had never heard of such a thing before, if it was called the Water Surveillance Office's secret ledger, it must be closely tied to the old Water Surveillance Office case.

Her father had never given her this item—then who had he left it to? Why had this woman and her master gone to such lengths to find it?

She thought of the jade belt—but she restrained herself, revealing nothing.

The woman noticed the hesitation in Zou Min'er's gaze and pressed the blade slightly tighter against her neck.

Zou Min'er felt a sharp sting; her delicate, snow-white skin was cut, and the thin silk collar of her undergarment quickly darkened with blood…

…

Jiang Liu, under Jia Cong's urging, drove the carriage at breakneck speed through crowded streets—this pace far exceeded normal limits.

Hooves pounded, wheels rolled, dust billowed; people on both sides of the street scrambled to avoid them, cursing and complaining.

When the carriage turned at an intersection, it overturned a fruit stall; after confirming no one was injured, Jia Cong ordered Jiang Liu to keep driving without stopping.

But since leaving Qingyin Pavilion, they had traveled some distance; not every stretch of road allowed them to gallop—only to maintain a speed faster than walking or running.

The maid Jia Cong had bumped into at Qingyin Pavilion had not initially struck him as odd.

But when he left Qingyin Pavilion and passed again through the seafood market, the briny scent of the sea suddenly triggered a flash of insight.

He instantly connected many unnoticed details.

When he had bumped into the maid, he helped her pick up the fallen tray.

At the time, he noticed her wrists were powdered with perfume; he found it amusing, assuming it was merely a woman's vanity.

Even when spilled wine washed away the powder on her wrist, revealing a strange scar, he paid it little mind.

He had foolishly assumed she applied powder merely to hide an ugly scar.

Then, when they both stood up after retrieving the tray and cups, close enough to touch, he caught a faint, peculiar odor in her hair.

But the odd scent in her hair was masked by the stronger perfume on her body, barely noticeable—merely enough to make him sniff once.

……

Only when his carriage passed again through the Fish Market did the heavy stench of seawater jolt him back to awareness.

What he had just witnessed in Qingyin Pavilion was not as simple as it appeared.

Jia Cong had grown up in a small coastal city in southeastern China, and he knew well the habits of tide-harvesting fishermen.

These fishermen, who spent their lives at sea, came into contact with seawater nearly every day.

Any skin irritation or abrasion they suffered, once soaked in seawater, left scars that rarely faded—tide-harvesters called them salt scabs, some of which clung to them for life.

The scar revealed on the maid's dorsal hand, where wine had washed away her powder, matched in shape and hue the salt scabs only those who lived at sea bore.

And the faint odd odor in her hair was unmistakably the smell of seawater.

She could cover her skin with powder to mask the seawater stench, but she could not powder her hair—thus leaving this subtle flaw.

In the hurried collision between them, with no external trigger, he could not possibly have deduced so much on the spot.

These details could only mean the maid had once lived by the sea.

But this alone was not enough to make Jia Cong feel alarmed or rush back to Qingyin Pavilion in such a frenzy.

Besides confirming the maid was a lifelong sea-dweller,

he also recalled her tall, slender figure—not only resembling Zou Min'er's build, but even more closely matching that of the female corpse in Sweet Well Lane.

According to the coroner and the Embroidered Uniform Guard's deductions, the corpse in Sweet Well Lane was very likely killed by the Water Rakshasa.

The Water Rakshasa was a formidable female bandit under Liu Ao, the notorious pirate of the East Sea—she was precisely the kind of person who had lived at sea for a long time, or she would never have earned the bandit name "Water Rakshasa."

Though he could not yet find direct evidence, Jia Cong was certain: the maid he had bumped into in Qingyin Pavilion was none other than the Water Rakshasa in disguise!

Otherwise, so many coincidences could not have occurred.

This easily explained why, after the woman in Sweet Well Lane was killed, her face had been mutilated—it was to prevent anyone from recognizing her.

Jia Cong recalled his first encounter with the maid in Qingyin Pavilion: the same tall, slender figure, the same polite demeanor.

Yet he clearly remembered that on that occasion, he had not detected any strong scent of powder on her.

For a lowly maid doing menial labor, not applying powder was only natural.

When you meet someone only once, without direct conversation, even without knowing their name, you can only remember their general appearance.

Subtle details of physique and features are naturally overlooked.

Jia Cong was now certain: the two times he encountered the tall maid, he had met two different women with similar builds.

And the two encounters had occurred less than three days apart.

The first one must have been the woman murdered and disfigured in Sweet Well Lane.

The maid he met today was the Water Rakshasa in disguise.

To infiltrate Qingyin Pavilion, the Water Rakshasa had killed, disfigured, and substituted identities—though Jia Cong did not yet know her true purpose,

the risk of Zou Min'er's identity being exposed weighed heavily on his mind, leaving him uneasy.

A ruthless, bloodthirsty female bandit scheming to enter Qingyin Pavilion—he immediately feared she meant harm to Zou Min'er.

That was why he had acted so out of character, rushing back to Qingyin Pavilion in such a frenzy.

He hoped his suspicion was wrong—that Zou Min'er was still safe and unharmed… (End of Chapter)