Chapter 126 No Need to Be Pretentious

The head of the Ministry of Justice who is always meticulous and stands as straight as a pine tree.

But the man in front of me didn't look like his usual self at all.

A corner of the hem of the official robe was torn, covered with dust and blood that had long since dried into a dark brown color.

His face was pale, with a dark circle under his eyes. He looked as if all his energy had been drained away, leaving only an extremely exhausted shell.

Zhou Yan'an took a step forward, his eyes filled with a desperate urgency.

"That book..."

His lips were a little chapped and his voice was strained with nervousness.

"Is that what she wants?"

Chu Yue looked at him and didn't answer immediately.

Her gaze fell on his slightly curled left hand hidden in his sleeve.

There seemed to be a faint smell of blood there.

Zhou Yan'an felt a little uncomfortable when she looked at him, and subconsciously pulled his hand back.

"yes."

Finally, Chu Yue uttered a word softly.

Just this one word seemed to be the last straw that broke the camel's back.

Zhou Yan'an's tense shoulders collapsed instantly.

He seemed to have been drained of all his strength and suddenly leaned against the wall behind him, making a dull sound.

He raised his head and let out a long, drawn-out breath.

There was fatigue and fear in that breath, but more of it was a sense of relief.

There was even a faint, weak smile on his pale face.

"That's good……"

He muttered to himself.

"That's good."

Chu Yue looked at him quietly, as if she was meeting this man for the first time.

She suddenly spoke, her voice breaking the momentary silence.

"Master Zhou."

"You crawled out of hell for this book."

"But I don't even want her to know my name."

Chu Yue's tone was very calm, as if she was stating a fact, but every word was like a needle, piercing Zhou Yan'an's heart.

She took a step forward, and her eyes, which could see through people's hearts, were now staring at him without blinking.

"tell me."

“Is it worth it?”

Is it worth it?

Chu Yue's cold voice was like an ice-hardened silver needle, piercing the dead silence at the end of the alley.

Zhou Yan'an leaned against the wall and straightened up slowly and with difficulty.

He raised his bloodshot eyes and glanced at Chu Yue.

In that look, there was no gratitude, no emotion, only an indifference that was cold to the bone.

"There's no need to be pretentious."

His voice was hoarse, but every word was clear, as if squeezed out from between his teeth.

"You and I both owe her."

In one word, it was decisive and nothing more could be said.

After saying that, he stopped looking at her, dragged his exhausted body, and limped into the deeper darkness, like a lone wolf licking its wounds.

Chu Yue stood there, looking at the direction he disappeared in for a long time before she sighed softly.

yes.

I owe her everything.

…

In Jingsi Garden, the night is deep.

A candle flame danced quietly on the agarwood table, reflecting Chen He's focused profile.

Her slender fingers were gently stroking the yellowed ancient book.

On the page, three ancient seal characters written in cinnabar looked as hideous as blood.

Zi Sui San.

Memories of past lives came flooding back like a flood.

She remembered how Xiao Jingren and Shan Zhuyu, who is now the queen, used this thing to make a spice called "Drunken Immortal Dust".

The spice smells heavenly and can relieve all worries.

What's more, it can make people become addicted to it without realizing it, and turn them into the most obedient puppets in their hands.

She remembered how many upright censors and military commanders in the court of her previous life had finally become prisoners of the spice.

Their eyes were dull and their wills were depressed. In order to obtain a wisp of "Drunken Immortal Dust", they did not hesitate to sell out their colleagues and frame loyal officials, making the entire political situation of the Great Zhou Dynasty a mess!

And Xiao Jingren sat there high and mighty, admiring this farce directed by them themselves, laughing so proudly and wildly.

"A bunch of evil spirits in human skin!"

Chen He's nails dug deep into her palms, a hint of scarlet seeping out, but she was completely unaware.

The hatred in his eyes almost solidified into substance.

Hate alone is not enough.

She took a deep breath, forced herself to calm down, and returned her gaze to the page.

Now, there are two things that must be done.

First, find the source of the purple marrow powder - the purple marrow mine that Xiao Jingren and the queen hold tightly in their hands.

Only by cutting off its roots can we remove the firewood from under the cauldron!

Second, find the solution to Zi Sui San.

This poison is vicious and can control people's minds. If it cannot be cured, it will eventually become a huge hidden danger.

When she thought of the word "detoxification", a person's face involuntarily appeared in her mind.

Xue Minglan.

The paranoid, gloomy man who always looked at her as if he wanted to eat her alive, but also with a hint of humble pleading.

She knows now.

In her previous life, she thought he was just a bad tempered person, but now she realized that he was also a victim of the Purple Marrow Powder.

Just because he stood in the Queen's way, he was forced to become addicted to drugs.

The bargaining chips that the queen used to force him to obey were his mother and sister who were far away in the frontier.

A complex wave flashed across Shen He's eyes.

Once upon a time, Xue Minglan was one of her most feared enemies.

But in this life...

He was also tortured by this poison for her.

if……

If I could cure him of this poison and rescue his mother and sister from the Queen's clutches...

Chen He's fingertips tapped lightly on the table from time to time.

The crisp sound is particularly clear in the quiet night.

It also finalized the chess strategy in her mind.

Xue Minglan's knife is too sharp and too crazy.

Rather than letting him become an unknown threat hanging over your head, it is better to hold him firmly in your hands.

After all, one more friend is always better than one more enemy.

Especially, a friend as powerful and deadly as Xue Minglan.