That night.
The lights in each courtyard of the city lord's mansion went out one after another, and even the servants' courtyard was silent.
Inside the dimly lit underground prison of the city lord's mansion, the Japanese pirates captured by Xu Nian and his group were imprisoned. The innermost cell was surrounded by a golden barrier.
Old Xun lay inside, breathing weakly, his fate unknown.
Xu Nian treated him during the day and sealed his meridians, preventing him from using those spells to remove all the Gu worms from his body.
Only after making sure the person had no chance of escaping did they leave with their men.
The guards were already dozing off. A man in black carefully stepped on the stone bricks of the dungeon, holding his breath and not daring to make a sound.
He circled behind the guard and, before the man could react, delivered a swift chop to the ground, causing him to collapse.
He silently put the man down and then used the same method to deal with the others. With the added drug in his hand, the guards in the entire cell were all unconscious on the ground in no time.
The unconscious prisoner sensed something was wrong and opened his eyes to see the furtive figure of the man in black.
He opened his mouth to shout, but the other party threw a needle, which pierced his acupoint and he immediately lost consciousness.
"Brave warrior! Brave warrior!" His companion, terrified at the sight, cried out, "I have money! I'll give you the money, please let us out!"
He rummaged through his pockets and handed the few coins he had to the man, but the man didn't even glance at them and walked straight to the innermost room.
The prisoner was displeased at being ignored. He opened his mouth as if to call for help, but then glanced at his oblivious companions beside him, fearing he might suffer the same fate.
He awkwardly shut his mouth again, watching helplessly as the man swiftly cut the old man's cell chains with a swift stroke of his knife!
Then, they walked unimpeded into the barrier. A flash of cold light appeared in the darkness, and the prisoner hurriedly closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep! But he could clearly hear the sound of a sharp weapon piercing flesh.
As dawn broke, the unconscious guard awoke from the ground and, hearing the prisoners' shouts, impatiently yelled, "What are you yelling about?! Food will be served soon, so shut up, all of you!"
Those who could speak the Xuan Dynasty language pointed to the innermost cell and cried out, "Someone's dead, sir! Someone's dead inside!"
The jailer's face changed, and he cursed, "Stop talking nonsense, how could that person inside..."
How could he die?!
Didn't the princess say she set up a barrier so that no one but them could get in?!
this……
He collapsed to the ground, his face deathly pale. The prisoners around him cried out, "Sir, let us out too! We don't want to die!"
Who knows if that man in black will come back tonight?
If their cells don't even have that glittering gold thing, wouldn't they be even less likely to survive?!
The group of Japanese pirates panicked, but their cries brought the jailer back to his senses. He scrambled to his feet, yelling, "Help! Help! Murder! Help!"
When the servants came to inform Xu Nian, she was still asleep.
Last night, Gu Zhan went crazy for some reason and kept her up until dawn before she could finally fall asleep.
She had just closed her eyes when someone banged on the door. She frowned, not wanting to answer, and turned over to continue sleeping. Mo Yun, who had rushed over upon hearing the news, raised her voice, "Princess, that old Xun is dead! You must go see him quickly!!"
Xun died of old age...
Xun is dead?!
Xu Nian's drowsiness vanished instantly, and she sat bolt upright in bed.
Forgetting the soreness in my body for a moment, I hurriedly put on my clothes, made myself look presentable, and went out.
He grabbed Mo Yun's collar, "What happened?! How could Elder Xun be dead?!"
Mo Yun was also very puzzled. He silently pushed Xu Nian's hand away. "It was discovered by the prisoners this morning. They said that a man in black broke into the cell at night and stabbed him through with a sword."
He hadn't examined the wound yet, but he was already thinking that handing the key to the barrier to the jailer was indeed a mistake.
Those people start neglecting their duties in the middle of the night; none of them are energetic, and if someone with even a little skill comes along, they can't stop them at all!
"Princess! Princess!"
Xu Nian stared wide-eyed, unaware of Mo Yun's inner thoughts.
Lifting her skirt, she ran towards the underground prison, and Mo Yun hurriedly followed. Inside the cell, to avoid disturbing the crime scene, Old Xun's body still lay there.
The weather in Canggu City is hot, and even in a cool place like the dungeon, a corpse will inevitably have some smell after a night.
When Xu Nian arrived, Gu Zhan was already performing an autopsy with the military coroner. The cell was filled with a mixture of smells, and the two of them immediately covered their mouths and noses upon entering.
"He died from a sword piercing his heart; there were no other external injuries." Upon seeing this, Gu Zhan quickly came over and led the man away from the cell. "I've examined him. This man knocked out the guards and also drugged the others in the cell. One of the prisoners who discovered him was also knocked unconscious by him striking an acupuncture point with a needle. His technique was skillful and cautious."
He always wore a mask, even covering only one eye of his face, showing that he was well-prepared to prevent anyone from recognizing him.
Of the tens of thousands of soldiers in the army, no fewer than ten thousand learned yesterday that Xun Lao had been captured.
Later, many people in the prison witnessed Xu Nian setting up a protective barrier, and a little inquiry revealed that the key was with a prison guard. Finding this person without any evidence was like searching for a needle in a haystack!
“There might not be only one spy in the army.” Xu Nian rubbed her temples, the ring on her hand glittering. “Don’t worry, Jiang Yuanche can’t get out now anyway, there’s always a way to bring him to justice.”
Jiang Yuanqing's voice slowly drifted out from inside, and the people present, including Liu Jun and Mo Yun, all looked worried.
Seeing that Elder Xun had been captured, the Japanese pirates' camp could easily find him by interrogating him. But now, this man had been killed right under their noses.
They still haven't found the murderer, and if the Emperor finds out, he'll surely be punished again.
"Why don't we arrest all the soldiers who watched the whole exam yesterday and interrogate them? We might be able to find some clues," Liu Jun suddenly suggested.
Gu Zhan didn't even look up before rejecting the suggestion, "No, there were so many people in jail yesterday. If we arrest them all, it might cause controversy and be detrimental to morale."
“It’s not that there’s no way.” Xu Nian tapped the table and scanned everyone in the room. “My master once taught me a soul-gathering technique. It can reveal a person’s soul on the seventh day after their death and ask them some questions. I’m sure Elder Xun knows what kind of spies are in this army?”
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