Twelve in the Capital

A shrill scream echoed throughout the hall.

Aruo was restrained, and her scalp, hands and feet were in so much pain that she broke out in a cold sweat. The feeling of powerlessness and fear swept over her mind, and she was shaking in despair.

At the critical moment, the tightly closed wooden door snapped open, and a longsword flashed past like a rainbow. The four approaching men collapsed with blood splattering from their throats, and mercury spilled onto the ground. A tall, straight-limbed man in green flew in, the longsword returning to his hand, streaked with blood, his handsome face filled with cold, murderous intent.

"Su Zirui!" It was the first time that Aruo was so happy to see someone that her tears couldn't stop flowing down.

She was truly terrified, not only that she would die, but also that they would force mercury into the baby, who she didn't know whether she was asleep or unconscious, in the back. She had thought she would never feel that helpless and hopeless again.

"I've told you many times not to do anything rash, but you just wouldn't listen. Do you know how much trouble you've caused me by acting so recklessly and without considering the consequences?" Su Zirui's face was stern and his tone was chilling. There was a sound of fighting behind him, and then Lin Ziyan ran in with Cai Xin.

"Yes, yes, you are right." Facing a powerful enemy, Aruo did not care about anything else, as long as the big boss in front of him could rescue the hostages quickly.

"You ghost-faced man, let Aruo go!" Cai Xin didn't care about the case or not, she just wanted Aruo to be safe.

The ghost-faced man tilted his head to look at the mercury on the ground, his eyes becoming increasingly cold. He winked at those people with wooden expressions, suddenly threw the person in his hand out with force, and then, with luck, struck her on the back with a palm.

"Aruo!" Cai Xin exclaimed in shock. Lin Ziyan quickly kicked the chair beside him to block the ghost-faced man's escape.

Su Zirui took a breath and leaped, but he only managed to pull the man away slightly. Aruo was hit by half a palm strike, spitting out a mouthful of blood, and crashed into Su Zirui.

"It hurts..." His shoulders were burning hot, and his nose was also burning painfully. Aruo was spun away by him and complained weakly, "Why does it hurt more when I hit you than when I hit the ground..."

After glaring at her unhappily, Su Zirui put her aside, turned around and joined the battle with his sword.

"Aruo, are you okay?" Cai Xin's eyes turned red with anxiety. She ran to her and half-huggled her, her hands shaking.

"Save the children!" Aruo struggled to his feet with her help, and saw that those people had already walked over there to take the three children away. Caixin nodded in understanding, and with a bravery that was completely inconsistent with her appearance, she picked up a chair and chased after them.

A quick glance revealed an hourglass in the hall, slowly ticking down. Aruo blinked in surprise. Sure enough, time was flowing here, whether inside or outside the formation. No wonder the bride had to come to perform the ceremony.

His sight quickly shifted away from the hourglass. There were many red thin lines hanging from the roof, fluttering in the wind. Aruo seized the opportunity and pushed down the bracket with the red lines hanging on it. The bracket fell heavily on the ghost-faced man who was kicked to the ground by Su Zirui.

"Miss Qi!" She was in the middle of a fierce fight when she was inexplicably hit on the head and face by the red line. Su Zirui and Lin Ziyan condemned her in unison.

"I'm sorry!" Aruo was so anxious that she tripped over the red thread and fell into the tangled mess. Her sight fell on the incense table. Three familiar figures in red clothes were half visible under the red curtain. "Oh my god... what does this mean?"

Elsewhere, Cai Xin checked the three still-moving children and felt relieved. She picked up one child in each hand and said to Aruo in surprise, "Aruo, they're still alive! Let's go!"

Pulling off the red string on his body, Aruo tiptoed onto the ground, leaped in front of Caixin, and kicked the puppet that was walking towards him like a zombie away.

Reaching out and picking up the baby wrapped in swaddling clothes, Aruo could not hide his excitement. The baby's eyebrows and eyes did not resemble anyone, but this was most likely the child left by Shuxian.

"Sir!" Beili's voice suddenly sounded from outside the door, followed by the sound of orderly footsteps, and several men in blue official uniforms with gold patterns rushed in with swords in hand.

Seeing this, the ghost-faced man pulled a ball from his sleeve and threw it forcefully toward the incense table. The ball exploded, sending acrid smoke spreading rapidly. Then, flames erupted, and the floor-length red tent caught fire.

"Want to run?" Su Zirui ignored the flying sparks and flew over with his sword, blocking the ghost-faced man's retreat. A cold blue light emanated from the tip of the sword, and the clash of the weapons carried the force of thunder.

"What is this?" Lin Ziyan covered his nose with his hand, thinking, "Why does it look a bit like a thunder bomb..."

Suddenly, a slender figure abruptly broke into the battle circle. Su Zirui's heart skipped a beat and he subconsciously became alert.

"Su Feng, hold your breath!" Aruo suddenly shouted, and then a piece of white powder was scattered around.

"What?" Lin Ziyan happened to be facing that direction and was sprayed all over his head and face. He immediately felt something was wrong and his steps weakened. "Knockout drug?"

Several people who surrounded him fell down one after another, and the man with the ghost face also began to walk unsteadily. Su Zirui, who was well prepared, seized the momentary flaw and slashed horizontally, knocking away the opponent's sharp blade.

The long sword plunged straight into the ghost-faced man's right chest. Su Zirui stepped forward quickly and pushed the man and the sword against the pillar of the hall. Seeing that the situation was hopeless, the man's eyes suddenly showed a fierce light and he gritted his teeth.

"Want to die? Not so easy!" Su Zirui clamped his jaw with one hand, and with a snap, he dislodged his jaw, rendering him powerless. He quickly tapped his shoulder, pressing the opponent's acupoints. A cold glint flashed across his eyes, and with a twist of his wrist, he twisted the sword twice, following the opponent's fierce screams. Su Zirui felt a surge of pleasure, and the corners of his lips curled slightly, "You're not afraid of death, so why are you afraid of pain?"

"Sir!" Kitazato rushed to his side. "The fire is out."

Su Zirui nodded and drew back his sword neatly. "Take him back. Be careful of the poison in his tooth socket."

"yes!"

The smoke in the room had not yet dissipated. Su Zirui waved his hand to clear the smoke from his eyes and found that the wooden puppets had fallen one after another. He hurried to Aruo's side and asked, "How are you?"

Before he could stand still, Aruo stuffed something soft into his arms.

"Hurry up and take them out!" Aruo pushed them away. "There's a lot of smoke here, and the children could easily choke."

"What about you?" Su Zirui held the thing in one hand and used his free hand to pull her.

"I promised to take them out." Aruo pointed under the incense table, revealing three familiar pairs of small shoes.

Su Zirui lowered his eyes and quickly stuffed the things in his hand into Beili's hands, "Get out! Beili, have someone seal off the village."

Aruo pulled the red cloth on the incense table and wrapped the three children. The stiff touch of her hands made her sad. These children originally had long lives to live, but their lives were ruined prematurely. They might not even have seen the flowers bloom and fall.

"Give it to me!" Su Zirui opened his arms and took the three children. The red silk in his hands felt stiff and cold, and even he, who had witnessed so many tragedies, felt a pang of pity. Suppressing his distracting thoughts, he kicked the person who was still squatting on the ground, "What are you doing? Go away."

"It hurts, Su Feng!" Who would kick a woman's butt? All the sadness in Aruo's heart was kicked away. She got up angrily and ran out of the house with him.

The lively wedding banquet not far away was still going on. Almost everyone in the village was celebrating, although most of them didn't know what they were celebrating.

Due to the decisive isolation by the Ministry of Justice, the accident here was completely unnoticed. Everyone just thought that the clan leader was getting married in front of the elders, and they only needed to eat and drink enough to feel the joyful atmosphere.

No wonder ignorant people have always been happier since ancient times.

Aruo and Cai Xin sat exhausted in the center of the courtyard, surrounded by a few little kids and the carried-out Lin Ziyan. They all had red strings hanging from their bodies and heads.

"I never thought that I, Lin Ziyan, who has been so smart, would be plotted against by my own people." Lin Ziyan felt humiliated, especially in front of his mortal enemy. How could Su Zirui have escaped? His indignant eyes fell on the figure who was explaining the details to his subordinates.

"What do you mean by plotting? This is just a little self-defense thing for women when they go out." Cai Xin showed no pity for him at all, her eyes filled with contempt. "You, a grown man, fell for it so easily. You're really more of a hindrance than a help. If it weren't for Lord Su's alertness, the prisoner would have escaped."

The Dali Temple is indeed not as effective as the Ministry of Justice. No wonder all the praised strange cases were solved by the Ministry of Justice.

"Don't mind it too much, Lord Lin. You are not the first one to be knocked down." After comforting him meaningfully and finally calming down, Aruo reached out and stroked the face of the baby in the cradle.

"Is this Sister Xian's child?" Cai Xin leaned over to tease the baby who had just woken up and asked.

"Maybe, maybe not." Aruo wasn't sure. Her fingers suddenly tightened. It turned out that there were a few strands of red thread wrapped around them. She spread her fingers and untied them one by one, but the knot on her little finger kept getting tighter and tighter.

A long red thread was dragging from her little finger. Aruo pulled the red thread curiously and looked along the line. The red thread was not long, but it was entangled with other threads. She raised her head and her sight met a pair of cold black eyes.

The end of the red line was wrapped around a pair of green boots. Su Zirui raised his foot and pulled the other end of the red line, looking at her with a little surprise.

Aruo silently withdrew his gaze, lowered his head and struggled to break the red thread, continued to take off the red thread on his head and clothes, waved it casually, and threw it aside.

Raising an eyebrow at her childish actions, Su Zirui untied the restraints on his boots and walked over to them. "The elders are awake, but they have forgotten what happened. Beili is going to take them back for interrogation. As for these children, the Ministry of Justice will be responsible for sending them back."

"Where is the man with the ghost face?" Aruo asked. This man might be the murderer of Sister Xian.

"Once he enters the Ministry of Justice, there's nothing he can hide." Su Zirui said softly. After a pause, he looked down at her dirty red wedding dress and said, "You guys should pack up and come back with us."

"So, what about them?" Aruo pointed at the three children wrapped in red silk. After a pause, he lowered his eyes and whispered, "I promised to take them away."

"There's no clue and it's been a while, so their families are hard to find. We might as well find a place to bury them properly, which would be considered fulfilling your promise." Su Zirui looked at the three children who had become like terracotta warriors, a hint of pity in his eyes. "They are trapped here, and they probably want to rest in peace so that they can be reincarnated as humans soon."

"Lord Su, do you also believe in these past lives and present lives?" Aruo asked, looking up. He didn't look like a superstitious person.

Giving her a noncommittal look, Su Zirui turned back and looked at the house where the sparks had been extinguished. "Who on earth would do such a thing, and for what purpose?"

Hearing this, Aruo looked up at the officials coming in and out of the ancestral hall, his face slightly stiffened, "Speaking of which, I always feel that this place is weird."

Aruo had asked Caixin about what happened after she disappeared. They searched the area for a long time but couldn't find the place for the worship ceremony. Later, the road to the ancestral hall suddenly appeared in the originally empty central square, and they found her.

That hourglass… seemed to have been flowing during the ceremony. This wasn't a simple sleight of hand, but a complex formation. However, Aruo had already broken the formation during her ceremony, otherwise Bai Yong wouldn't have found Su Zirui and the others. Logically, with the core of the formation broken, there shouldn't be any more strange things. Why did she always feel like there was something else here?

"What's strange?"

His wandering gaze suddenly met a pair of deep and cold eyes, and Aruo immediately came back to his senses.

"Whether it's the purpose or the strangeness, it's up to Master Su to find out." Aruo stretched, picked up the baby in the cradle, and stood up, her eyes curved like crescent moons. "I hope Master will remember your promise and give Sister Xian justice, no matter who it is. I thank you in advance."

"If you behave yourself, you can thank me." Su Zirui looked at her deeply, sneered, and turned around to continue with the aftermath.

Aruo made a face at his back, and unexpectedly saw the red string on the ground. She inexplicably thought of the red string wrapped around her little finger connecting him. Suddenly, a chill ran down her spine, and she shook her head to get rid of such a horrible thought.

"Are you kidding me, with this living Yama?"

"Aruo, I think you should have listened to Lord Su and behaved yourself. If he hadn't found where you were this time, you would have almost gone into the bridal chamber with that ghost-faced man and become his bride." Cai Xin couldn't help but say to her that the girl had no idea how anxious she was at that time.

Although they had experienced these strange things many times before, this was the first time she felt so helpless. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't find her, nor could she find the venue where the village chief was supposedly getting married. Finally, it was Su Zirui who noticed someone had set up a formation in the courtyard and led them to the right place. So now, the reliable Su Zirui held a very high position in her heart.

"As long as I don't want to, let alone the wedding ceremony, even if I enter the bridal chamber, I will just be myself." Aruo didn't care. She was not a real ancient woman. How could she accept her fate just because she was married? "Xiao Caixin, getting married is not good. I have decided that I will only marry in this life!"

Su Zirui had excellent hearing and could hear the woman's words even amidst the noisy voices. He couldn't help but sneer. What a restless and unruly girl she was.

"Speaking of which, was it fun for you two days and one night spent out there alone, a man and a woman?" After relaxing, Cai Xin felt like gossiping, and leaned over to Aruo and asked in a low voice.

She remembered that Aruo hadn't had a very good impression of this Lord Su, but this time they seemed to have a tacit understanding, Aruo even trusted him very much. And that cold Lord Su was particularly talkative when he was with her. Caixin bet on her beauty that there must be something strange.

"What a joke! I can hardly stand up straight." After spending most of the night in the wild and even jumping into the water to pull an unconscious man out of the river, Aruo felt like he almost lost half his life. These two days and two nights were really long.

"I can't straighten my back... Oh my God, it's... so intense." Cai Xin covered her mouth in exclamation.

"That's right. It's been a restless night." Aruo yawned and felt like sleeping.

"Wow..." Cai Xin's wild imagination began to get out of control.

Su Zirui began to feel that his hearing was too good. His ears felt slightly hot. He walked away with his hands behind his back in disgust, "What nonsense!"

Beili finished his work and came to report. He looked at his master's red ears in surprise and whispered, "Master, we didn't find the center of the formation you mentioned... But we did suddenly find this courtyard just now..."

Su Zirui's eyes flashed coldly as he looked around the courtyard. It was unknown what he was thinking, and his expression became even colder.

……………… …………………… …………………………

Two days later.

At the quiet dock, a few small boats drifted sparsely on the river. The sound of wooden boats colliding with the dock's crossbars was heard, and occasionally there was the thumping of pedestrians' footsteps.

"Boatman, start the boat."

The burly man wore a conical hat with a black veil hanging down, making his features unclear. He wore a white tiger waistcoat over his black robe. He threw a silver ingot to the boatman and sat down at the bow of the boat.

Following the customary trading habits, the boatman simply nodded and pushed hard, and the boat left the dock.

A thin mist slowly rose on the surface of the river, the sound of metal clashing came from far away, and a shadow slowly approached from the front.

The man lifted the black veil, his face slightly solemn, and subconsciously placed his hand on his sword.

The mist dissipated as the other party cut through the water. The bamboo raft was only as wide as a man's arm's length. A golden Zen staff was erected in front of the raft. The metallic sound came from the golden ring on the staff swaying in the wind. The person sitting cross-legged on the raft was dressed in a monk's robe, his hands clasped in front of his chest, his head slightly bowed and his eyes closed.

"Monk?"

The wooden boat slowed down, while the bamboo raft came straight towards it.

After a while, the river returned to calm, and the morning sun began to shine on the water, dispersing the mist.

By Fengxian Bridge, two girls were putting tables and chairs in place, preparing for a new day of business.

"Aruo, did you send a letter to Master Huiming yesterday?" Cai Xin suddenly asked.

"Yes, this time the authorities were alerted. I was afraid someone might hear some rumors and cause trouble, so I just reported it myself." Aruo absentmindedly poured herself a bowl of soy milk. She had no background or family, but she was a successful person and had good relationships. After all these years, there were still a few people who cared about her.

"Yiyuan won't say that you are causing trouble again, right?" Cai Xin thought of the man's face and smiled.

"That's for sure. So, I gave him a trouble first~" Aruo looked up and smiled, his eyebrows curved like a crescent moon.

The fog dissipated, the sun shone on the bridge, people began to pass by in twos and threes, the aroma of soy milk filled the air, and the small square table slowly filled with a few guests having breakfast.

A new day has begun in this huge capital city.