Chapter 104

Outside the city, Songhe Bay.

Songhe Bay borders the Luohe River and serves as a summer retreat for the city's nobles; it contains a thousand villas. As autumn deepens, not many people reside there.

Zhou Ming'an, serving as a Vice Commissioner of the Dali Temple, held a rank not particularly high, possessing only a small two-courtyard villa in a remote corner of Songhe Bay, surrounded by bamboo groves, with a quite elegant environment.

As the setting sun slanted westward, inside the study of the villa, Zhou Ming'an paced back and forth with his hands clasped behind his back, his expression inevitably carrying a trace of nervousness:

"Mr. Gongsun, do not be careless. Although Xie Jinhuan is young, his strength cannot be underestimated; he might even possess a famous weapon or secret treasure..."

Inside the modest study, five people were seated, all personnel sent by Li Gongpu.

Because they were to 'capture the bandit who assassinated an imperial official', the five were not mere martial vagabonds.

The leader, Gongsun Duan, was an instructor of the Imperial Guard, his strength having already entered Rank 2; accompanying him were four elite Imperial Guardsmen, equipped with Qi-Breaking Bows, Immortal-Binding Ropes, and other items.

To cope with the imperial court's review, Gongsun Duan had prepared a reason beforehand—resting at a villa in Songhe Bay, hearing of irregularities in the Zhou family, coming to inspect, and accidentally capturing the traitor Xie Jinhuan who assassinated a court official.

With such a configuration, one could say that as long as Xie Jinhuan dared to come, he could not possibly walk out of Songhe Bay alive; moreover, they were righteous and would not attract the slightest trouble.

However, the premise of this matter was that Zhou Ming'an had to be successfully assassinated before they could jump out to seize the person.

Otherwise, if Xie Jinhuan insisted he was there to investigate the case, they could do nothing about the Daojuan Sect behind him.

Seeing the 'bait' in a state of anxiety, Gongsun Duan held a teacup and comforted him earnestly:

"With Xie Jinhuan's skills, he cannot even step into the bamboo grove, let alone the study. My Lord Zhou, do not be too suspicious. Now, the only fear is that this youth will not come, leaving us waiting in vain."

Zhou Ming'an sighed lightly: "Xie Jinhuan has already obtained the Juan Sect documents; I, Zhou Mou, have also given him the opportunity to strike. As long as this youth intends to take revenge, he will surely come within the next two days..."

"Then that is sufficient."

Gongsun Duan said no more, picked up his sword and shield, and rose:

"My Lord Zhou, simply maintain your usual conduct; it is best to appear frequently in the courtyard to facilitate Xie Jinhuan's reconnaissance. We will remain hidden nearby; as soon as there is any movement, we will immediately appear to relieve My Lord Zhou."

Seeing the five prepare to go out and wait, Zhou Ming'an was, to be honest, somewhat uneasy.

But Xie Jinhuan was no ordinary person; if he discovered five people crouching inside the house, he certainly would not enter. For now, he said nothing more, feigning the appearance of a sick man, wandering about the residence...

——

Night fell.

Lights dotted both banks of the Luohe River, with numerous villas hidden among the gardens.

Xie Jinhuan, wearing a bamboo hat and disguised as an ordinary martial traveler, moved silently through the dim woods, observing the riverside residence hidden within the bamboo groves.

The two-courtyard residence was not large, but surrounded by bamboo groves with excellent privacy; from above the tree canopy, only two servants could be vaguely seen brushing horses on the side of the house, while some lights flickered inside the residence, and on the riverside terrace, a shadow seemed to be gazing into the distance over the railing.

To guard against hidden defenders, Xie Jinhuan first carefully reconnoitered the surroundings of the residence; after scanning for a long time, he raised his finger toward a slightly raised area of withered yellow bamboo leaves:

"Is someone lying there?"

Ye Hongshang floated before him and nodded slightly:

"Good eyesight, but it is not one person; there are five. They all appear to be martial artists, and one of them has probably entered Rank 2."

"Is that so?"

Discovering strong enemies surrounding the residence, Xie Jinhuan's brows naturally furrowed.

He had only obtained the Juan Sect documents from the county government office that morning, discovering Zhou Ming'an might have issues, yet by evening, Zhou Ming'an had already set up a 'lure the tiger into the jar' trap!

This was clearly a calculation against him...

Such a decisive person must be eliminated swiftly...

Ye Hongshang crouched before him; seeing Xie Jinhuan's tightly furrowed brows, she asked in a low voice:

"Five people and you are already cowardly?"

"How is that possible? Since this is an assassination, there must be no conflict; if a fight breaks out, it will be difficult to escape blame."

While Xie Jinhuan spoke, he carefully observed the surroundings and took out the Huang Lin Seal, using its light spots to observe the specific locations of the ambushing people.

But seeing this scene, Ye Hongshang felt it was simply an insult to her, a good wife, and immediately began to cause trouble.

And then, a 'phantom image' appeared before Xie Jinhuan's eyes.

This phantom image was different; the scene before him did not change much, but deep within the dark bamboo groves, five small red figures appeared.

The five lay motionless on the ground; although their faces and clothing were indistinct, their body outlines were visible...

A-Piao Brand Thermal Imaging!

Xie Jinhuan blinked, put away the obsolete, useless Huang Lin Seal, determined the ambush positions and fields of view of the five, blocked all lines of sight, quietly circled to the side of the house, and climbed over the wall into the courtyard...

——

The silver moon hung in the sky.

Zhou Ming'an, wearing a scholar's robe, gazed out from the riverside terrace for a moment; seeing no sign of irregularity, he returned to the study and stood before the calligraphy and paintings on the wall, feigning the appearance of admiring the scroll.

This act was to display normal behavior, ensuring that Xie Jinhuan, possibly hiding in the shadows and observing, would not grow suspicious.

But he knew Xie Jinhuan possessed high martial arts and acted decisively; he did not know that Xie Jinhuan was versed in all aspects, including calligraphy and painting, where his attainment was equally not poor.

Before Zhou Ming'an had even glanced a few times, he heard a voice coming from beside him:

"The Linhe Moon of the Twin Saints Leaf Shrine; unfortunately, it is an imitation. Judging by the brush and ink, it must have been copied by Mr. Fan Li of the Guozijian; the painting lacks a bit of sword qi reaching the heavens."

The voice sounded like that of an old friend appraising a famous painting together.

As a civil official, Zhou Ming'an also enjoyed calligraphy and painting in his daily life; hearing such remarks elsewhere, he would certainly have chatted heartily.

But hearing these words in his own study at this very moment was no different from hearing 'Xie Bi'an' whispering in his ear.

"..."

Zhou Ming'an's body suddenly stiffened; before his lips could open, a chill pressed against his neck.

Silence fell upon the room as well.

Xie Jinhuan stood behind him, holding the Zhenglun Sword; after confirming that the ambushing personnel outside would not notice anything unusual, he asked calmly:

"Does My Lord Zhou know who I am?"

Zhou Ming'an's entire body stiffened, his eyelashes even trembling; after remaining silent for a long time, he nodded faintly, as if barely there:

"I... I know."

"Then does my lord know the purpose of my arrival?"

"What happened back then was not my wish; Li Gongpu, the Gentleman of the Yellow Gate, forced me to do it. Li Gongpu's men are still lying in ambush outside. Young Master Xie, do not act rashly, or you will fall into Li Gongpu's trap..."

Li Gongpu...

Xie Jinhuan knew Li Gongpu was no good, but he truly did not expect the man to be involved in the case from three years ago.

This man is the Emperor's beloved dog; to beat the dog, one must first consider the master, so it is not good to eliminate him quickly. He thought for a moment and asked:

"Who else took bribes from Han Jingchuan back then and slandered my father?"

"There were also two Constables from the county government office, each taking thirty taels of silver, to accuse your father of drinking. Because they were ostracized by the government office, they have been transferred to an outer county."

"My father was attacked by a demon at Sancha Gao in Weizhou. Does this matter have any connection to you?"

Zhou Ming'an shook his head hurriedly: "Han Jingchuan only wanted to avoid accountability. Once the case was closed, he naturally would not take such extra steps."

Hearing these words, Xie Jinhuan could not help but frown secretly.

Whether it was the attack at the Golden Tower or judging from Zhou Ming'an's confession, Li Gongpu and the Mingshen Sect seemed to be two separate groups.

The demon that attacked three years ago used the Mingshen Sect's 'Xuanming Crow Transformation', so it was highly likely a person or demon of the Mingshen Sect.

The Juan Sect also stated that his father had a fifteen-minute gap in his whereabouts, but the witness gave false testimony, proving he did not drink, yet the response was vague...

For this reason, in his view, the process of his father's case might have been as follows:

On the night of the fifth day of the third month, the Mingshen Sect caused chaos at the temporary palace.

Han Jingchuan, having failed in his duty, asked Li Gongpu to make his father take the blame.

His father did not drink, yet could not explain the whereabouts during those fifteen minutes.

The Mingshen Sect grew wary, fearing his father discovered something that night, and secretly acted to wipe out the entire family...

But in his memory, his father had never mentioned anything related to the haunted palace case...

However, given the old man's character, if he had seen a terrifying figure, he would likely have kept his mouth shut to ensure his own safety...

Xie Jinhuan could not make sense of the clues for the time being. He asked Zhou Ming'an a few more questions, and seeing that there was no more information to reveal, he tilted his head slightly:

"Please, my lord, write down the list of those who accepted bribes in recent years. Write the names, official titles, and uses in detail."

"Uh..."

As soon as Zhou Ming'an hesitated, his neck tightened. He dared not utter a single word, slowly walked to the desk, picked up the brush to write, while his peripheral vision glanced toward the window.

Xie Jinhuan reminded him: "They are wearing Imperial Guard armor. Even if they enter now, I am merely investigating an old case by extreme means. As long as you are alive, if they dare to execute me on the spot, they cannot escape the Prince Dan's retribution. If you are dead, they will have a legal basis to take black hands."

"..."

Zhou Ming'an was not stupid. The moment Xie Jinhuan appeared in the room, he understood Li Gongpu's intentions. Thinking it over, he wrote down the details of the bribery one by one, involving more than twenty officials and nobles, and over thirty cases:

"Since Young Master Xie knows this is a trap, do not act rashly. You can investigate these officials yourself. I can be a witness."

Xie Jinhuan was not stupid either. If he took this list out, Zhou Ming'an would immediately be 'assassinated'. If he dared to reveal the list, he would be walking into a trap. For now, he simply said:

"You hold the power of justice, yet you used your power for personal gain and wrongly judged so many cases. Do you not feel ashamed before the people and the Emperor's grace?"

"Uh... I indeed feel ashamed before the imperial court's cultivation and Mr.'s teachings..."

"Write it on paper."

Seeing that Xie Jinhuan wanted the confession to look more sincere, Zhou Ming'an did not hesitate, writing various words of repentance at length, such as 'no face to meet my teachers' and 'death a hundred times is not enough', and so on.

"Li Gongpu treated you as a pawn and forced you to a dead end. Do you not feel any resentment?"

"Yes..."

"Write it down."

Xie Jinhuan waited until Zhou Ming'an finished writing at length, feeling this was sufficient, and immediately sheathed his sword's edge:

"Alright."

"..."

Zhou Ming'an's heartstrings were taut. He dared not turn his head to speak. After waiting a short while, before he could figure out whether Xie Jinhuan had left, he found his head dizzy and his thoughts hard to concentrate.

Then the whole person fell into a muddled state, his eyes empty and his thinking stopped.

Tap tap~

Xie Jinhuan stood behind holding his sword, watching. He could see Zhou Ming'an's eyes were hollow. He slowly turned and walked to the center of the study, raising his eyes to look at the beam.

Then he went to the inner room, picked up a cloth strap, brought a stool from beside the bed to the study, placed it under the beam, and draped the strap over it, tying it securely.

As he stepped onto the stool and put his neck into the loop, Zhou Ming'an, without the slightest hesitation, kicked the stool away with his feet. The cloth strap immediately went taut.

Xie Jinhuan used his toe to prop up the stool to prevent any sound.

Under the threat of death, Zhou Ming'an also came to his senses. Before his eyes could even turn to confusion, they turned to fearful bewilderment. His legs swung in mid-air as he looked down at the straw-hatted guest.

Whoosh whoosh~

Xie Jinhuan lifted his straw hat to lock eyes. Only when Zhou Ming'an stopped moving did he scan the room.

Because there was no landlady to vouch for him this time, he checked it himself first, then had the Ghost Bride check it again. After confirming no flaws were left, he quietly left the study...

——

The reading background is out now, everyone can take turns looking~

(End of this chapter)