"Lord Shen...I..."
Su Yan hesitated, just as she mustered the courage to explain, but when she saw Shen Yao in front of her, she felt guilty and didn't know what to say.
Seeing Su Yan's troubled expression, Shen Yao didn't press further, a bitter smile playing on his lips. "Can you... tell me why you did this?"
Ever since he met Su Yan, Shen Yao has known her character very well. She must have her own reasons for choosing to disguise herself as a man and hide her identity.
Su Yan sighed softly, as if she had already made up her mind. She had thought about the possibility of her identity being exposed, but she did not expect that the first person to know her true identity would be Shen Yao.
"Lord Shen, my name is not Su Yan. My real name is Su Yan, Yan as in Yan Ruyu, the daughter of Su Ci, the former head of the Imperial Medical Academy..."
The reason I disguised myself as a man was to investigate the truth behind the massacre of the Su family. Now that you know my secret, and you saved my life, I'll let you do whatever you want with me.
At this moment, Shen Yao also remembered that Su Yan had mentioned things from the past.
However, Chen Yao felt gratified that Su Yan was able to be so open with him. "Why would I report you to the Oversight Council? Do I look like I have nothing better to do?"
"So you're saying you'll keep this a secret for me?"
Su Yan was quite surprised; she hadn't expected Shen Yao to keep her secret.
Shen Yao nodded. "I don't know what happened to you, but I trust your character. There are plenty of people in this world who have secrets, and I appreciate your honesty... Can you tell me what happened in your life of pleasure?"
As Shen Yao finished speaking, Su Yan's expression also turned serious.
Shen Yao noticed that Su Yan's mood was off. "What's wrong?"
"Lord Shen, the decadent lifestyle might be related to the Dark Moon Pavilion that wiped out my entire Su family..."
"Dark Moon Pavilion?" Shen Yao was completely confused.
Seeing that Shen Yao was unaware, Su Yan patiently explained, "Dark Moon Pavilion is an assassin organization in the martial arts world. By the way, Zhang Lanzhen was also in this organization, but unfortunately she is dead, and the trail went cold. However, the Drunken Dream Society might have some clues about Dark Moon Pavilion..."
After listening, Shen Yao seemed to be deep in thought. He seemed to have heard of the Dark Moon Pavilion, but he couldn't remember it for the moment.
"So what do we plan to do next?"
Now, this life of debauchery is not only entangled with the case of the corpse found in the dry well, but also with a killer organization, not to mention that he has royal relatives as his backers.
All these factors combined make it a tough nut to crack.
After some thought, Su Yan decided to use the "Drunken Life, Dreamlike Debauchery" approach as a breakthrough.
"We've already alerted them; they might be on high alert. I'm thinking of infiltrating Drunken Dreamland disguised as a woman..."
Upon hearing this, Shen Yao immediately rejected Su Yan's plan, "Are you crazy! Don't you know what kind of people are in that 'Drunken Life, Dreamy Death' place?"
"Of course I know, as the saying goes, nothing ventured, nothing gained..."
"A ghost wouldn't enter a tiger's den. Don't you know who's backing you behind this hedonistic lifestyle?" Shen Yao was so angry that his chest felt tight.
Su Yan, on the contrary, didn't seem to care at all. "Isn't he just Xiao Yanjing, the current Empress's younger brother and the Crown Prince's brother-in-law..."
"So you knew all along? Knowing there are tigers in the mountains, you still went into the tiger's den. I don't even know what to say to you..."
Having just escaped from the hedonistic lifestyle, Shen Yao was still shaken. Had he arrived any later, Su Yan might have already been sold off on the black market.
He never expected that Su Yan, after experiencing such a dangerous situation, would still have the courage to step into a life of debauchery.
Seeing Shen Yao's brows furrowed so deeply, Su Yan couldn't help but laugh out loud. "Don't worry, Lord Shen. I was careless last time. This time I can protect myself properly."
"No, I don't agree... You don't know martial arts and you're injured, so this is out of the question with me."
Seeing Shen Yao's worried expression, Su Yan felt a surge of warmth in her heart, but once she made up her mind to do something, no one could stop her.
"Lord Shen, it's not for myself, but for the twenty innocent lives lost. I still have a chance to see the sun rise tomorrow. If it weren't for this accidental discovery, those children would have been forever trapped in a dark, dry well. Now that I've decided to investigate this case thoroughly, I won't give up easily..."
Are they important to you?
Shen Yao couldn't understand why Su Yan insisted on risking her life to do these things, knowing full well that it was a one-way trip.
From that moment on, he realized that he had never really understood Su Yan.
Su Yan smiled. "Lord Shen, I may be able to ignore it, but I cannot convince my conscience... I, Su Yan, do not seek wealth or fame in this life, I only seek to have a clear conscience..."
Seeing that Su Yan didn't hesitate at all, Shen Yao knew he couldn't stop her from making any decisions, so he could only compromise, "I think I understand... I won't stop you anymore, but your plan needs to be reconsidered..."
"Okay... those people living a life of debauchery are probably still looking for me. I can't bring down this mountain by myself."
"So you set a trap for me from the beginning, trying to get me to join your group..."
Shen Yao then realized what Su Yan was planning.
His behavior just now was clearly an act for himself; he knew perfectly well that he would soften his heart towards her.
Su Yan chuckled foolishly, not refuting Shen Yao's words, "Lord Shen, I'm not stupid. Foolishly sneaking in would be suicide. There's strength in numbers..."
Shen Yao sighed helplessly. He was impressed by Su Yan's intelligence; she had used all her cunning on him. "Tell me your plan..."
Su Yan leaned close to Shen Yao, so close that they could feel each other's breath.
As Su Yan approached, Shen Yao subconsciously held his breath. His gaze swept over Su Yan's big, bright eyes, long eyelashes, and pink lips.
Shen Yao didn't know what was wrong with him, especially after learning Su Yan's true identity. His heart suddenly started racing, and inexplicable feelings kept bothering him. Realizing his own change, Shen Yao subconsciously pushed Su Yan away from approaching.
"Lord Shen, what's wrong?" Su Yan, who had been pushed away, looked at him with a puzzled expression.
Shen Yao smiled guiltily, "I'm fine, go ahead and say it..."
Although Su Yan felt that Shen Yao was acting strangely, she didn't pay much attention to it and told him about her plan to infiltrate the Drunken Dreamland.
Actually, Su Yan's motivation wasn't just the dry well case; the main reason was that she had finally learned about the Dark Moon Pavilion, which is why she felt she had to take the risk.
After hearing Su Yan's plan, Shen Yao frowned even more, seemingly not very much in agreement with it.
"I'm still worried about you sneaking in alone. Why don't I go with you?"
Su Yan thought for a moment and felt that Shen Yao's suggestion was inappropriate. "No, if we both sneak in, who will rescue us if something goes wrong... Besides, Lord Shen, your image is too upright. You look like an official and it's easier for you to be exposed."
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