Breaking the Formation
Niujiazhuang Village, a courtyard far away from the market, the window frames are covered with dust and spider silk, and even the fallen leaves on the ground seem familiar.
Revisiting the old place, Aruo looked at the people around him helplessly, and asked in frustration, "It's fine if it's just Su Feng and I, but Caixin, why are you and Lord Lin here to join in the fun?"
Cai Xin tugged at the ribbon on her sleeve uncomfortably, then looked up and smiled, "I'm worried about you... As for him, I don't know why he came."
Lin Ziyan casually twirled the folding fan in his hand, smiling elegantly, "Don't be so formal. I'm the Junior Secretary of the Dali Temple. Isn't it natural for me to help track down the suspect?"
Aruo sighed, "We're here to meet people, not for a picnic... Really, why are you all joining in the fun? If anything happens, we'll have to take care of you."
"You talk as if you are so great." Cai Xin puffed out her cheeks and glared at her.
Aruo hooked his arm around the person next to him and said matter-of-factly, "I have him. Do you have him?"
The young man in brocade clothes, whose hand was hooked, raised his sword-like eyebrows slightly, looked down at her with gentle eyes, and pulled her hand down and held it in his palm.
Cai Xin choked up. She really couldn't find another big shot in the Ministry of Justice. Turning her head, Lin Ziyan opened his fan with a swish. His suave and dashing appearance made her want to slap him. She quickly turned back and hooked her hand with Aruo indignantly. "I have you, don't you care about me?"
Even though Su Zirui's cold gaze sent a chill down her spine, Cai Xin firmly held Aruo's hand, glaring back with her bright eyes without showing any weakness. She simply didn't believe Aruo would forget her for the sake of his beauty.
After looking at each other, they looked at Aruo at the same time.
"I say, we are here to find Changsheng, can you be quiet?" Aruo was helpless with these two people.
After living in the Ministry of Justice's prison for half a month, Aruo was not quite used to the late autumn sunshine. Fortunately, this house was cool and well-lit. Although there was no wind, walking inside the house always felt a chill and discomfort.
"How do you know Changsheng is here?" Cai Xin followed her into the yard and asked curiously.
"Before, in Zhou Huaijin's room, he said someone asked him to hide in Niujiazhuang Village." Aruo pushed open the door of the room, and the furnishings inside were similar to when she came here before.
After that day, because she was in prison and Su Zirui was injured, he could only ask Beili to search secretly. But more than half a month passed, and he still couldn't find Changsheng.
The house is not big, and its back door is the back door of the ancestral hall of Niujiazhuang Village. Su Zirui suggested to look for her separately and quickly took Aruo away. Caixin had no choice but to stomp her feet and leave with Lin Ziyan.
After they left, Aruo and Su Zirui exchanged a glance, then turned and walked into the dilapidated room. They had found babies doused in mercury in this room, but now those children had been taken away and buried by the Ministry of Justice, leaving nothing beneath the altar.
"Do you suspect there is a formation here?" Su Zirui held her wrist and checked the room to find nothing unusual.
Aruo nodded. "Do you remember when I said I heard the child's voice and then it disappeared? I heard it when I walked out of this room."
"But those wronged souls are no longer here. Isn't the formation broken?" Su Zirui explored Niujiazhuang Village, but did not enter any formation again.
Aruo paused, sighed slightly and said, "The center of the formation is not damaged, so it is not considered broken."
"Then how do we enter the formation?" Su Zirui frowned slightly. He didn't know much about these strange techniques, but he was not afraid after seeing them many times.
Aruo raised her head and smiled at him, bright and beautiful, and reached out to hug him, "Like this."
Following her pull, the two of them stepped out of the room. At that moment, the surrounding scene suddenly changed.
The late autumn sky, which was still daytime just now, suddenly turned into a night sky. The surroundings were decorated with lights and red lanterns were hung above the streets. Passers-by passed by with happy expressions on their faces, heading in the same direction, as if they were going to a festive feast together.
The sound of cannons rang out, and the team carrying red baskets played joyful music. Maids in red clothes waved pink petals in the team. There was only a white horse walking in the front of the team. In the middle of the team, there was a light sedan chair with no one inside.
This is a wedding without a protagonist.
"What is this?" It was the first time that Su Zirui had seen such a scene, and he put his arms around the person next to him.
"Do you remember the first time we came here?" Aruo leaned in his arms and looked up at him. "I was captured by them and taken as a bride. Look, the hourglass is flowing, which means that this formation has a time flow. In other words, to find the center of the formation and destroy it, you must complete the process."
"What process?" Su Zirui looked around and found that these people seemed not to see them, so he withdrew his gaze and focused on the person in his arms.
Her fair cheeks were tinged with a faint blush under the light, her eyebrows were sweet, and her eyes, like the night sky, were bright and clear, reflecting his face clearly.
"Master Su, Su Feng," she bit her soft lips and called him softly, her beautiful eyes curved with a hint of shyness, her voice soft, "I am not talented, I only have one stall in the capital, but I own several estates in Yangzhou and Shuzhong. I have a good future and can support my family. I am a clean and kind person... Well, as long as you understand what I mean. I, I just want to ask, are you willing... to marry me?"
Aruo said this with the courage to be hit on the head by him a few times, but to her surprise, the man in front of her had no intention of hitting her.
After a long silence, Su Zirui seemed to finally be unable to hold back and smiled. He lowered his head and leaned his forehead against hers, and muffled laughter surrounded her.
What kind of answer was that? Aruo raised her eyes and met his. She felt as if those beautiful starry eyes were burning with two balls of scorching flames, burning her cheeks and ears, and her heart trembled slightly.
His cold brows softened, his eyes brimming with emotion, like blooming peach blossoms, as he gazed deeply at the girl he held in his arms. Love grew wildly in his heart, and joy spread to his pulse, making it beat lightly.
"You..." Aruo moistened her lips and asked shyly in a low voice, "Are you willing?"
Su Zirui raised his hand to caress her rosy cheeks, and gently kissed her moist red lips, saying passionately and frankly, "Yes."
Peach petals were flying throughout the night sky, and big red lanterns were hung throughout the courtyard, extending into the ancestral hall like a road, with red silk wrapped around both sides and the sound of cannons was loud.
Wearing a bright red wedding gown with exquisite embroidery, and wearing a golden crown and jade hairpin, her elegant face was delicate and charming under the light makeup, with golden tassels on the crown hanging on her shoulders. She bent her slender waist and took light steps. Aruo hid behind the palm-leaf fan with a smile on her face, her eyes as bright as spring water, watching her groom take the other end of the red silk.
Su Zirui, clad in a gilded red robe, was transported by the passage of time. His cool, handsome face, amidst the crimson, lost a touch of its coldness, gaining an inexplicable allure of passion. He knew all this was but an illusion, even the appearance of the guests was hazy, but he remained focused on his bride, leading her into the festive atmosphere.
Her long skirt dragged on the ground, slowly sweeping through the peach petals. The palm-leaf fan was put down, and the girl, who rarely showed such charm, stood in front of him with a sweet smile, so beautiful that it was breathtaking.
There were no parents, no familiar guests, and the people in the illusion seemed to not exist. They worshipped heaven and earth, and the couple bowed to each other, and the ceremony was over.
A person with a golden crown and pearls on her head, smiling like a cat that has stolen some fish, jumped into his arms and put her arms around his waist, "You are mine."
Su Zirui looked down at her, a faint blush quietly staining his cold, pale face. His eyes were serious and deep, and there was unspeakable tenderness hidden between his brows. There was none of the coldness and cruelty that he showed outside the formation.
Just looking at her like this, Aruo felt as if he had bewitched her soul. Her clear eyes were tinged with charm, revealing all the suppressed emotions of the past. Her gaze touched his thin lips, and she whispered with a smile, "Mine, stamp it."
After saying that, Aruo stood on tiptoe and bit his smiling lips hard.
"Idiot," Su Zirui licked his lips, pinched her chin, and with the joy that could not be hidden in his eyes, he pressed against her, "You are mine."
They belong to each other. The lovers' whispers fade between their lips, heard only by each other.
In the world within the formation, only each other is real, and a gentle kiss is enough to make people intoxicated.
"Oh, right," Aruo smiled, leaning back and nudging him. She pulled out a red brocade bag from her bosom and poured out two jade rings. "This is for you, a token of our love."
The rings are one big and one small, without any patterns but the jade is transparent. When you look closely, you can faintly see the glint of gold on the rings.
"In my hometown, when a man and a woman get married, they put a ring on each other's ring finger. Legend has it that the ring finger is connected to the heart, so putting a ring on the ring finger means that the other person's heart is also put on by you." Aruo looked at him with sparkling eyes. "Master Su, can I put a ring on yours?"
She had seen this pair of rings while shopping with Caixin in a jewelry store. They were actually earrings, a large ring clasped with a smaller one. They were exquisite and elegant, and were said to be the only pair of their kind. Seeing them brought back memories of weddings long ago. The scene of exchanging rings and then kissing was the climax of every wedding, and the most beautiful scene.
In a fit of rage, she spent a huge amount of money to buy the pair of earrings. She tried many ways and made many attempts before she finally separated the two rings. She also took the trouble to adjust the size and even broke a pair before she successfully made it the way she wanted.
Is he trapping his heart? No wonder she always liked to hook his finger a while ago.
Su Zirui raised an eyebrow. She was so bold inside the formation that he suspected she was a different person. "If you were this passionate and bold outside the formation, I would have less worries."
Inside the formation, there weren't so many things going on, and there weren't so many concerns, so Aruo could be herself. She lowered her head and carefully put the ring on him, then stretched out her finger and watched the jade ring slowly circle hers.
Apology flashed across her eyes. Aruo held his face with both hands and promised seriously, "Su Feng, wait for me. I will finish all this soon. Then, I will work hard to make money and buy you delicious food and drinks, so that you can look beautiful every day."
Does this mean that he will be a gigolo? Or is he being treated like a mistress?
Su Zirui was amused and angry, his voice was leisurely, "Although your husband depends on your father, his salary is still enough to support you."
"Do you want it?" Aruo wrinkled his nose and asked.
He looked at her intently with a calm expression, which made her feel a little uneasy. Then Su Zirui suddenly asked, "Are you hiding something from me?"
Her heart skipped a beat, and Aruo chuckled, speechless at his sudden sharpness. She lowered her eyes and leaned into his arms, "What do you think I can hide from you? Is the perceptive Lord Su trying to change the subject?"
How could she possibly be so cunning as to play tricks on a criminal investigator? Besides, she had a gigolo to herself, and this bastard was so ungrateful that he even suspected her.
As they chatted and laughed, the process came to an end, the center of the formation was revealed, and everything around began to shatter.
Su Zirui drew his sword, stretched out his arms and hugged the man to his side. He didn't say whether he was willing or not, but just said, "Don't eat or drink anything sweet."
Inside the ancestral hall, a lantern hanging high above suddenly glowed white. Seizing that split second, he thrust his sword fiercely into the white light, a blinding light instantly spreading from the blade's tip.
After adjusting to the light, Su Zirui opened his eyes and said, "Is this... the ancestral hall of Niujiazhuang Village?"
Aruo stuck her head out of his arms and stared in a certain direction, feeling puzzled. She always felt that there was something strange about this place. But the feeling was too fast, and she couldn't grasp it at all.
After the baby case, this place was sealed off. He and Beili had broken in when they were exploring again before... The wound on his chest seemed to be aching. Su Zirui narrowed his eyes slightly, and a familiar feeling of danger rushed into his heart.
The longsword in his hand suddenly danced, and he and his men soared into the air, spinning in the air and swinging out a circle of silver light. Several hidden arrows suddenly pierced the place where they had been standing.
Using his toes to gain leverage in mid-air, Su Zirui quickly placed the person in his arms on a branch in a blind spot. "Stay still."
After saying this, he withdrew and landed gracefully on the ground. Soon after, several men in black leaped down from the sky.
"I didn't mean to intrude before. Thank you for your guidance." The last time he came, he was injured and had barged directly into the guarded ancestral hall. He and Beili didn't expect an ambush, and they were careless and slightly injured. Su Zirui held a grudge against these people. Now, recognizing them as the same people from last time, he curled his lips in a playful manner, "I wonder if you are defending the formation or ambushing?"
With a fierce look in his eyes, the man in black suddenly attacked.
The long sword flew violently, as fast as lightning, the sword energy moved as if it had life, the bright red dress fluttered, and the figure as startled as a swimming dragon swirled between the light and shadow, bringing up a wisp of blood mist.
Aruo looked at them anxiously, secretly hating Lin Ziyan for always being away when needed. He was indeed a lucky finder! Their Lord Su was better off. What would they do if he got hurt again?
Suddenly, a figure caught her eye. The young man, dressed in a plain robe, stared at the battle in amazement.
"Eternal life?" Aruo's eyes lit up, and he quickly used his lightness skills to seize the opportunity to slip out from the side.
Chen Changsheng wanted to escape, but was caught by Aruo just before he turned the corner.
"You little bastard! You're in trouble and you still want to run away?" Aruo angrily tugged at his collar, her eyes wide with anger as she shouted, "You don't care about your own future, and you don't care about your grandma either?"
Chen Changsheng's struggle suddenly stopped, his scarlet eyes staring stubbornly at Aruo, his voice filled with grievance and resentment, "They forced me to do this... Sister, I have no way out..."
His handsome face was twisted, like a small animal that had been driven into a corner. Aruo was stunned for a moment, then asked in a deep voice, "Did you really hurt Zhou Huaijin?"
Chen Changsheng's frail hand grasped Aruo's hand that was tugging at his collar, and he choked out, "He was the one who went too far first... He kept pushing me and even teasing me about Grandma. I got so angry that I started hitting her."
How can the waste raised by night-blooming incense smell the fragrance of books?
Poor people should have the duties of poor people. How can you expect to pass the imperial examination when you are covered in shit?
Those insulting words swirled in his mind, and had been around him since he entered the private school. Zhou Huaijin's arrogant face was particularly glaring under the flickering light. At that time, his mind was full of scenes of being bullied by Zhou Huaijin and his men in the past. Every limb in his body was clamoring to kill him, to kill this young man who was inferior to him in every way but was so arrogant that he oppressed him.
At first, he just threw his schoolbag at Zhou Huaijin, but the man was frightened by his counterattack and fell to the ground. At that moment, the fear on Zhou Huaijin's face greatly stimulated him.
It turns out I can be afraid too, it turns out I can shrink back...
At that moment, Chen Changsheng felt like he had opened a new door and saw a world different from the one he had seen before. He followed Zhou Huaijin's subconscious gaze and saw a few blue bricks piled on the side of the alley. When Zhou Huaijin took them in his hands, he trembled.
Chen Changsheng was terrified when he first struck him, his hands trembling. But he was soon deeply satisfied by Zhou Huaijin's plea for mercy. The man who seemed to have the final say over his future and life was begging for mercy. The sight of him with blood all over his face was truly satisfying.
"Did you really inflict that wound on his head? Are you crazy, Chen Changsheng?" Aruo trembled as he muttered about how he had fought back that night with a heavy brick, slapping him hard in the face. "Direct counterattacks are only suitable for fighting violence with violence. Why are you, a scholar, showing off? Didn't you always say we'd outsmarted them? You don't know how to complain?"
The teachers in the private school have a preference for Chen Changsheng. On the surface, they are all knowledgeable and very polite. As long as the complaint is made properly, the teachers who claim to be unafraid of power and only read the books of sages will punish him.
Chen Changsheng's face was knocked sideways by the blow, and his pale cheeks instantly flushed. "It's useless. Zhou Huaijin tore up my exam documents... The teacher couldn't do anything and just told me to wait another year... Why?... Grandma is not feeling well. If I can get good grades this time, I can become a juren. Why ruin my chance..."
Aruo was stunned. The examination documents were issued by the government when registering for a private school, and they were considered admission tickets. Zhou Huaijin tore up other people's documents, which was equivalent to ruining Changsheng's chance to take the exam in the spring.
This is so abhorrent... This is no ordinary schoolyard issue. However, the world is never fair to the weak. Changsheng's retaliation puts him on the side of evil, turning the original right into a murderer!
"He's just the son of a fifth-rank official. How can he possibly cover up his crimes? If you sue him, you might have a chance of winning. If you kill him, your life will be ruined." Aruo hated these powerful people, but she had to endure the reality and find another way to fight back. Unfortunately, Changsheng was just a scholar. Unlike her, he was not used to injustice and had learned how to vent and endure it early on.
"He said that every time I received a document, he would tear it up. Lord Zhou paved the way for him. He was going to enter the Imperial College and become a disciple of the Emperor... I can't compete with him at all." Chen Changsheng's face was covered with tears, his eyes full of resentment and grief. "Sister... when I came to my senses, he had already collapsed. There was no way out."
Aruo looked at him with mixed feelings in her heart, "So you sneaked into the Zhou Mansion because you really wanted to kill Zhou Huaijin."
Zhou Huaijin's torture of Changsheng was public and prolonged, but no one witnessed the assault that night. As long as Zhou Huaijin remained unconscious, Chen Changsheng was merely a suspect, and according to the laws of the Great Qi Dynasty, a person could not be convicted without evidence. Therefore, Zhou Huaijin's death would be more beneficial to Chen Changsheng than his awakening.
The young man she held tightly in her arms didn't say a word. He just closed his eyes in despair, swallowing all his unwillingness and fear. Only the tears flowing freely on his face betrayed his panic and guilt.
Aruo looked at the boy, barely her height, feeling too distressed to utter a single word of criticism. She had watched Chen Changsheng and his grandson live their lives, and he had always worked hard to make a good living. No matter how much the harsh words at the private school pierced his remaining self-esteem, he gritted his teeth and went there early every day, just for a chance to study, waiting for a chance to change their fate.
Being proud and proud is never just a matter of one or two actions; it requires long-term efforts and luck.
"Changsheng, don't be afraid. We will help you." Aruo released the restraints on him and gently stroked his face. "We shouldn't use greater power to oppress others, but face them with dignity and fight for the rights we deserve."
The boy with his eyes closed was ready to face her scolding and slapping, but he heard such gentle comfort. He opened his eyes tremblingly and looked at the girl in front of him with tearful eyes. She had a confident yet gentle smile.
"Strive for it? If I show up... the government will convict and imprison me. What else can I possibly strive for?" Chen Changsheng had heard about the situation in the capital. Lord Zhou held a low position, but his wife came from a marquisate. Are the relationships among the high-ranking families in the capital truly as simple as they appear? He was just a commoner, and he had touched the Zhou family's only son. Could he even have a chance at an equal dialogue?
"Under the Emperor's feet, we can still reason. Don't the laws of the Great Qi have relevant provisions for students?" The founding monarch rose to power from the grassroots, and the current emperor also favors students from humble backgrounds. The laws of the Great Qi explicitly stipulate that students with a certain level of academic achievement have a few rights. Changsheng is a native of the capital, and at only sixteen years old, he was already a scholar, which is why the private school teachers focused on his training. "If all else fails, we will go to the city gates and beat the drums. I don't believe that there is not a single person in the entire capital who dares to go against the Zhou family."
Maybe it will be a bit long and tortuous, and he may not be able to reach the end, but rather than destroying himself and his grandmother in a moment of impulse, Aruo hopes that he can take it step by step. Even if he can only take one step, justice is clear and someone will always see the truth.
Even if we take a step back and put aside her so-called nobleness, she does have a backer, right? And her backer just happens to be in the criminal law field.
"Changsheng, this world ultimately admires the strong. If you are good enough, there will always be people standing on your side." Compared to those who are poor but outstanding, those who are poor and mediocre are the truly pathetic.
Chen Changsheng looked at her with emotion and asked softly, "Really...is there still a chance?"
"Yes, Zhou Huaijin is not dead, right? You only injured someone, the charge is not serious." Aruo was now extremely grateful that she had acted decisively in the Zhou residence that day to drive Changsheng away and save Zhou Huaijin. Now that she thought about it, if she manipulated it carefully, she could even shift the blame to the person who poisoned Zhou Huaijin. Quickly thinking of various feasible plans, Aruo pulled Changsheng, "Don't worry, let's get out of here first..."
"Aruo——"
Cai Xin's scream suddenly broke through the sky. Aruo was shocked and reacted extremely quickly to the ground, knocking Chen Changsheng to the ground.
The sharp sleeve arrow pierced into the wall. Aruo rolled around with Changsheng, and when he looked up, he saw a black shadow attacking them.
"Su Feng!" screamed subconsciously.
In a flash, the sword flashed as fast as lightning. The man in black suddenly paused and collapsed. A hidden arrow was stuck in his vest, almost completely embedded in his spine.
"What are you doing? Run!" Su Zirui's face was cold and his eyes were fierce. He was very dissatisfied with her dawdling at this moment.
Aruo gritted his teeth and dragged Changsheng to his feet. Seeing Lin Ziyan had joined the melee, he quickly dodged and ran towards Caixin. The two main forces saw this and did not want to fight anymore, and flew over to their side.
"Run first. Beili has brought people here. Let's run to the village." Su Zirui said in a deep voice, his sword covered in blood and his eyes full of murderous intent.
Lin Ziyan didn't care about his tone at this time, and ran out while protecting Cai Xin.
Aruo and Caixin dragged Changsheng along with them, and together they ran out of the ancestral hall. As if anticipating their plans, the men in black separated their formations and attacked them.
Aruo deftly dodged the attack, handed Changsheng to Su Zirui, and leaped onto the rooftop on tiptoe. Outside the ancestral hall square, the central door was wide open. From her vantage point, the hanging objects inside swayed in the wind.
That flash of red caught Aruo's eye, and she was suddenly dazed. Before she could react, she had already stepped over there.
“Ruoruo!”
Her waist suddenly tightened, Su Zirui clasped her waist tightly and spun her around, angrily saying, "Are you going to die?"
"Su Feng," Aruo suddenly looked up at him with surprise in his eyes, pointing inside the ancestral hall, "There... there is a soul-calling banner..."
Su Zirui's pupils widened slightly. He had heard Aruo mention the seventh day after the death of Li Xiaoman from Sizhou, so he naturally knew what the spirit-calling banner was used for. The last time he and Beili Tan came in, they were attacked before they even entered the room. Could it be...
"Let's go first, we'll meet again later..."
Before he could finish his words, he saw the girl in his arms suddenly open her eyes wide. With a push of her shoulder, they switched positions in an instant. Su Zirui keenly caught the almost silent muffled sound, and his pupils trembled slightly. The face reflected in his dark eyes quickly turned pale.
"I didn't..." She wanted to comfort herself, but the intense pain swept through her consciousness. She spat out a mouthful of blood on his clothes. She was too weak to even struggle and fell into darkness.
“Ruoruo!”
Overwhelming pain and fear washed over him. Su Zirui, waking up suddenly, fell to the ground holding her, and quickly tapped a few acupuncture points on her chest. His hand holding her was soon wet, and the sharp arrowhead sank into her back.
A deep shudder instantly spread from the depths of his heart. His entire body was icy cold, as if he were in a cold cellar. Endless regret and fear surged towards him from all sides, instantly drowning him. All around him was unknown darkness, with only her blood as the brightest light.
“Aruo——” Cai Xin collapsed to the ground in fear. She crawled to the two of them without caring about anything else and hugged the girl tightly with trembling hands. “Why didn’t you protect her, you…”
The curses timidly stopped when they met those murderous eyes. Terror ran down her spine, but the blood on her skirt seemed to give her courage. Cai Xin said cruelly, "Kill them!"
"Sir!" Following the chaotic sound of footsteps, Beili appeared at the gate of the ancestral hall with a group of people, quickly spreading out to surround the courtyard. Seeing the murderous aura of his master, Beili's heart trembled. His eyes fell on the person Caixin was holding, and his face darkened instantly.
Su Zirui paused, then slowly turned around. With a twirl of his hand, his longsword rang out with sharp whirring sounds, carrying a murderous intent. Blood from the blade slowly dripped onto the ground. He pursed his lips, his eyes red and gloomy, oozing with coldness. His originally cool aura suddenly became sinister and sinister.
The men in black were so shocked by the cold and fierce aura that they stopped in their tracks, looked around, and surrounded him in an instant.
Su Zirui pursed his lips, turned his head, and said in a deep voice, "Kill."
Beili and others looked stern and quickly followed.
"Hey, it's happening again!" Lin Ziyan rushed over carrying Changsheng, looked down at the person leaning against Caixin's arms with a weak breath, gritted his teeth, and said, "Su Zirui, leave him alive!"
Chen Changsheng huddled on the ground, his eyes filled with extreme fear, staring blankly at everything in front of him.
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