Chapter 32

Bai Xinrong suddenly saw Shen Yu at Zhenyue Hall, and then saw her leave not long after, which made her uneasy.

I waited for her for a long time under the nearby corridor until the sun was setting before she finally returned.

As soon as Shen Yu returned, she went into the room where Qiu Chiyan was staying. She observed outside for a while before quietly sneaking into the room as well.

Seeing that both she and Qiu Chiyan were covered in blood, Bai Xinrong couldn't hold back her tears and spoke in a tearful voice:

"...I'm so sorry!"

Shen Yu was wiping the blood off Qiu Chiyan's body with great focus, without even looking up: "It's good that you're here. I've been busy for most of the day and still don't know what happened."

Bai Xinrong found it difficult to speak, her face full of shame: "It was Chen Lang! Today, Constable Xiao invited the people from the Guanzhong Knife Society here for a confrontation. It was Chen Lang and Fan Junwen who collaborated to kill the troublesome people in the sect for the other side, disguising themselves as mysterious figures to commit the crime!"

"What's the deal with Qiu Chiyan?"

"...Chen Lang, exposed and enraged, tried to injure me with a hidden weapon and escape in the chaos, but Officer Qiu blocked the attack for me..."

Bai Xinrong still feels lingering fear when she thinks about it now.

After causing a scene with her father, she was locked up. This morning, hearing a commotion outside, she took advantage of the chaos to go to the front hall.

Besides the three constables from the Six Doors, there were also a group of people from the Guanzhong Knife Society.

In her emotional state, she voiced all her doubts and discoveries.

But she never imagined that Chen Lang would treat her like this.

He usually treated me very well and never said a harsh word to me.

Shen Yu didn't ask about Chen Lang's fate, but instead said, "Your father, Constable Xiao, and the leader of the Guanzhong Knife Society were all present. What level is Chen Lang? How was he able to escape? And why couldn't anyone catch his hidden weapons?"

Bai Xinrong's breath hitched. She had thought long and hard before daring to come see Shen Yu today, but in the end, she couldn't escape this question.

Because it seems that no matter how you describe it, you can't bypass the most crucial link—

Without his father's actions, Chen Lang wouldn't have been able to stir up any trouble.

Her back was stiff, her fingertips cold, and it took her a long time to speak with difficulty: "Fan Junwen of the Guanzhong Knife Society was easily frightened and gave himself away, and Chen Lang naturally couldn't hide either. But my father suddenly jumped out, saying that he had betrayed his trust and that he would clean up the mess, and he was about to make a move. When Officer Xiao saw this, he tried to stop my father, and the two of them were focused on each other's actions, which is how Chen Lang suddenly took advantage of the chaos... At that time, only Officer Qiu had a chance to react..."

She didn't know what the others present thought.

But watching her biological father's every move, she was almost certain in her heart that he already knew what Chen Lang had done. Today's incident was just the beginning of his scheme, and in order to prevent the situation from getting completely out of control, he had to make a show of force first.

Those few half-pushing and half-blocking moves gave Chen Lang the best chance to escape.

Otherwise, with his father's skills, how could Chen Lang still be alive?

But in this situation, she felt that her father wasn't leaving room for others, but rather trying to clear himself of any involvement.

"Didn't your father say anything to you?" Shen Yu asked again.

Bai Xinrong shook her head; her father hadn't spoken to her at all today.

With the loss of two promising talents, Zhenyue Hall is unlikely to make a name for itself in this Hundred Gates Sacrifice Ceremony.

She was aware of her father's ambitions.

Such shameful and disgraceful acts are a father's greatest taboo.

"Do you regret it?"

Shen Yu looked at her quietly, his gaze so deep it seemed to illuminate the darkest corners of her heart, inch by inch.

Bai Xinrong lowered her head, not daring to meet her gaze.

She really didn't know what to do.

If she hadn't exposed it, she would have been ashamed of her cowardice. But now that the truth has been revealed, everything is even more embarrassing.

I was mentally prepared, but actually standing on the opposite side of my father was a completely different situation.

Everything the old man at the inn said that day has come true.

If such a thing happens between family members, can one truly be completely unconcerned?

She felt a tightness and pain in her chest, and slowly lowered her eyes, her voice barely audible: "If Officer Qiu needs any medicine, you can come to me, and I will definitely find a way to get it."

After saying that, she fled in panic.

A gust of wind stirred the door, and it closed gently, leaving the room quiet.

Shen Yu sighed almost imperceptibly, then turned to look at Qiu Chiyan, only to see the other man's eyelashes flutter slightly.

She reached out, poked his cheek, and then pinched it.

"How long have you been pretending to be asleep?"

"I think I heard it, something about Chen Lang."

Qiu Chiyan's voice was slightly hoarse as he forced a smile: "Why are you here?"

He could vaguely recall what had happened, but he wasn't quite sure of his condition. He felt as if his whole body had been branded with fire, and even lifting his hand felt incredibly heavy.

"A bunch of doctors are surrounding you, all hesitant and afraid to remove the hidden weapon, so I had to do it myself." Shen Yu said casually, but she didn't intend to consider the injured man's feelings. She held up the cleaned hidden weapon in front of him and said, "I don't think I've ever asked you, Officer Qiu, how good are your skills?"

“…”

Qiu Chiyan could naturally hear the teasing in Shen Yu's voice.

Having only been in Sanhe Town for a short time, I'm still not fully recovered. Now, old wounds haven't healed and new ones have appeared.

"Actually... my lightness skill is not bad, but..." He awkwardly looked away. It was hard to believe that a cripple would talk about lightness skill, but he adjusted himself well and immediately became frank. "It's just that you asked. If it were someone else, I could at least humbly say that I'm so-so."

"You'd better be weak and unlucky, Officer Qiu."

“Protecting the people is also my duty,” Qiu Chiyan said stubbornly. Then he saw Shen Yu picking through something in the tray by the bedside and stuffing it into her mouth.

The bitterness and spiciness exploded in my mouth instantly.

"Don't vomit!" Shen Yu pinched his face, warning him without any real threat. "The hidden weapon has been removed, but the poison is still there. You have to follow the doctor's orders carefully this time!"

"...What about my maternal grandfather's side?"

Qiu Chiyan didn't ask about the poisoning details, but subconsciously asked about Qin Lie.

“I can’t hide it anymore. The reason I suddenly came here to find you is because of Grandpa.” Shen Yu pressed down on his collarbone, secretly applying pressure to prevent him from suddenly getting up. “Perhaps you two are on the same wavelength. I didn’t know anything yet, but Grandpa said he wanted to come see you. I went back to the inn this afternoon and already told Grandpa, telling him not to worry. Besides, I also need Grandpa’s trade routes to get some antidote. He’s much more efficient than you; he gets things done right away.”

"...What kind of poison is so troublesome?" Qiu Chiyan was held down by her and could not move. He could only let the hot medicine go down his throat.

"Seven-Flower Powder, have you ever heard of it?" Shen Yu said angrily. "I don't know where Chen Lang got this kind of poison from. Bai Qing'e didn't have an antidote, so I had to make it on the spot!"

"Where are Chen Lang and Bai Qing'e now?"

"I don't know, I didn't ask. Bai Qing'e isn't a good person either, he..."

Qiu Chiyan couldn't move his arm, so he hooked his little finger around hers: "But ultimately, he didn't kill him. This matter ends here. We from the Six Doors aren't here to investigate further, it's just..."

"Alright, alright." Chen Yu didn't want to listen to the long, righteous speech that followed, so she simply pinched his lips.

Qiu Chiyan was forced to remain silent, a helpless smile appearing in his eyes.

He grasped Shen Yu's fingertips with his still-functioning hand and moved them away from his mouth: "Little Manager Shen, you've saved me twice now."

"So you've had a lot of bad luck, what kind of things have you run into?" Shen Yu squeezed his palm with her other hand, pursed her lips, and ultimately said nothing.

"I don't feel unlucky, or maybe I'm just used to being unlucky and don't feel it?" Qiu Chiyan's gaze softened and fell on her face. "Since I came to Sanhe Town, I've had a great time every day."

"But if it's healthy, it might be better. I haven't played with you yet."

“…I can’t beat you.” Qiu Chiyan chuckled. “You’re so belligerent, I can’t handle you.”

"I didn't..." Shen Yu muttered, reaching out to brush his messy hair aside. "It's time. I'm going to brew the medicine. I'll be back in a bit."

"Um."

Qiu Chiyan closed his eyes slightly, the smile on his lips lingering, even though the pain in his chest was constantly tormenting his mind.

When he groggily opened his eyes again, the person in front of him had become Tang Huazhi.

The bright sunlight outside streamed in through the window cracks, stinging his eyes.

"What time is it?" His voice was low and hoarse, as if it had been smoked by fire.

"Oh my god, you're awake?" Tang Huazhi's voice practically exploded right next to his ear. He then reached out and touched his forehead, letting out a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness, it's good that you're awake. You started having a fever last night, and Miss Shen said that if you didn't wake up by this afternoon, we'd have to fight fire with fire!"

Qiu Chiyan felt dizzy and disoriented. Tang Huazhi's voice seemed to come from near and then disappear. He lay there for a while before slowly emerging from that haze.

"Come drink water and take your medicine. Miss Shen said you have a lot of food to eat, and you can't skip a single bite." Tang Huazhi was so worried that he couldn't stop eating.

"...Today is the first day of the Hundred Sects' Sacrifice Ceremony, right? Why are you still here? Where's Shen Yu? Where's Master?"

"Master went to watch the battle, I have to stay and watch over you."

"Did Master go alone?"

“Master is such a grown man, he can go by himself without any problems. You should worry about yourself.”

Following Shen Yu's medical instructions, Tang Huazhi busied himself with various medications and applied new medicine to the wound.

"Am I still in Zhenyue Hall?" Qiu Chiyan lay there staring at the roof beams, his gaze somewhat unfocused.

"Of course, you can't move it easily."

"Where is Shen Yu?" He vaguely remembered that she had said she would come back last night.

"Miss Chen, you've gone to the Hundred Gates Sacrifice Ceremony." Tang Huazhi silently blew on the medicine to cool it down, not looking into his eyes.

"You went so early in the morning? Wouldn't the opening ceremony be boring?"

"Ah...maybe, people just like this."

Upon hearing this, Qiu Chiyan's expression, which had been somewhat weary from illness, instantly became more alert.

He propped himself up on the edge of the bed, his chest throbbing with pain, and cold sweat instantly broke out.

Tang Huazhi was startled by him and almost spilled the bowl of medicine in his hand. He quickly pressed him back down.

"She went to the Hundred Gates Sword Offering Ceremony?"

"Ah, yes."

"To watch the game?"

"ah…"

"What 'ah'? You always do this when you lie, not answering, just going on and on." Qiu Chiyan grabbed his arm, staring straight at him. "She went to participate in a competition?"

Tang Hua scratched his head, looking troubled, and sighed, "This year there's an extra prize, isn't there? Since Poison Doctor Tian Rong won't treat you, she'll have to win the medicine..."