Sizhou Fifteen
The sound of hurried footsteps was chaotic, the rhythmic rhythm of light and heavy footsteps distinct in the woods. With a flash of silver light, Aruo pulled Li Xiaoman with all his might and leaped, dodging the attack. As he landed, Li Xiaoman lost his balance and nearly fell, his constable uniform smeared with blood on his shoulders.
"Xiao Man!" Aruo quickly pulled her hand across his shoulder and dragged her to hide behind a tree. "What's wrong with you?"
"It's okay, there's anesthetic on this needle!" Li Xiaoman's face turned pale, and he tightened his grip on the knife.
"These needles are too thin and difficult to dodge. If we fight in close combat, are you still confident?" Aruo asked softly, reaching into his waist bag and taking out a bag of powder.
Li Xiaoman nodded, secretly adjusted his breathing, pressed a few acupoints on his left shoulder, tested his strength, and took out a thin dagger from his boot and handed it to Aruo.
As the footsteps got closer, a woman's soft voice came leisurely, "Qi Ruoyu, the master wants to see you."
"If I go with you, will you let my friend go?" Aruo's eyes darkened and he asked in a neither loud nor soft voice.
"The master only wants you." Yanhong slowly walked towards them, her narrow eyes without any emotion, and her words showed no concern for other people's lives.
Aruo nodded to Li Xiaoman, slowly walked out from behind the tree trunk, and placed the dagger on his neck. "Although I hate self-torture, but... your master doesn't want me to live, but to be unharmed."
With contempt in her red eyes, she curled her lips in a smile at her overestimating her abilities, "Do you think you can be faster than my silver needle?"
"After all, we've acted together before, so why do you have to kill her so harshly? If you let her go, I can go with you voluntarily. But if you hurt my friend in any way, I can't guarantee what I will do in front of your master." Aruo raised her eyebrows, and a smile slowly broke out on her beautiful face.
The slightly innocent face in her memory had lost its usual kindness, and with those dark, bright, yet calm eyes, there was a sense of coldness. Yanhong lowered her eyelids slightly. The master really wanted her to send the person back properly and without any harm.
Yanhong retracted the silver needle from her finger and walked towards her, "Okay. I can let that little constable go, but you'd better not cheat."
Aruo breathed a sigh of relief and said calmly, "Yanhong, you are definitely not from the Jianghu. Qin Zhi said that the most important thing to know when traveling in the Jianghu is one word. Do you know what it is?"
"What?" Yanhong asked subconsciously without hearing her words clearly.
When they were close enough, Aruo's expression changed, and he quickly waved his hand to sprinkle the powder in his palm over, "Fraud!"
Yanhong hadn't expected her to cheat, and accidentally inhaled some of the powder. She instantly flew into a rage, "Qi Ruoyu!"
"Xiao Man—" Aruo pushed hard on his toes and leaped back. Before Yanhong could react, the machete was already in front of her. She only had time to pull out her sword and try to block it.
Li Xiaoman, a woman, had served as a constable for several years. While her skills weren't as impressive as those of specially trained criminal officials like Beili, she was still a renowned figure in Sizhou. Yanhong, already inhaling a specially formulated drug, was exhausted after a few blows. She quickly placed her fingers between her lips and blew out a strange sound.
"Damn it, run!" Li Xiaoman slashed fiercely, kicking the man away, and quickly turned around, pulling Aruo with him and ran away. The two of them jumped into the woods, and soon several men in black jumped out from the trees and landed beside Yanhong.
"Chase!"
Aruo's lightness skill was displayed exceptionally well, and he quickly leaped through the woods carrying Xiaoman, who looked heavy due to injuries, and managed to avoid the silver needles coming from behind.
"Where on earth did she hide all those needles?" Aruo asked desperately, breathless from running. "And she flew so fast, is she really a ghost?"
"Idiot, that's just because they're good at Qinggong! Forget it, let's run!" Li Xiaoman was also devastated, the wound on her shoulder aching more and more. They hadn't been running for long when they heard the clashing of weapons up ahead. They exchanged glances and rushed in that direction.
The moment he jumped out, the silver light had already hit him. Aruo gritted his teeth and pushed Xiaoman aside. Before he could react, his calf was already in sharp pain. "Oh no!"
Falling out of control, Aruo only managed to see a group of people fighting below. The glint of swords and knives frightened her so much that she screamed from the depths of her soul, "Ah——"
There was no expected pain from the sword hitting his body. His waist tightened and Aruo was spun around. Many blurry figures flashed before his eyes quickly, and a familiar breath lingered.
"Why is it you?"
The cold voice could not hide the surprise.
Aruo looked up. Su Zirui's handsome face was filled with surprise and sternness. His brows were slightly furrowed, his hair was slightly disheveled, and he held a long sword, the blade of which was stained with bright red. He blinked, and the sound of cold weapons fighting around him was clearly heard. Aruo came to her senses in an instant and grabbed his clothes by his chest, "Su Feng, Yanhong..."
Before she could finish, Su Zirui's expression froze. He quickly spun around and blocked the pursuing hidden weapon with his sword. He glanced at her, his eyes instantly cold, "Are you hurt?"
Aruo was stunned, then belatedly felt a numbness and pain in his left leg. He bent down and fumbled to pull out the silver needle, which was longer than an embroidery needle, and said aggrievedly, "My leg... just got hit."
"Can you please take your brain with you before you go out? What if this needle is poisonous?" Su Zirui's eyes were stern, and his voice was cold and suppressed with anger. He took the shiny silver needle from her hand and took a look at it before he felt relieved. "Tell me, what trouble have you gotten yourself into this time?"
A black figure flashed into his eyes. In panic and confusion, Aruo pushed Su Zirui behind him, opened his arms to protect him, and said nervously, "It's her, Yanhong, she's not dead yet, she..."
Su Zirui raised an eyebrow. This was the first time in his life that someone had protected him. It felt... ridiculous. He scoffed, but his eyes didn't hold his usual irony.
The already chaotic battle situation became even more disorganized due to the involvement of a third party. Yanhong's steps became slightly disordered, and her narrow eyes, which were emotionless, were filled with murderous intent when she saw the target. She raised her hand and several darts shot out.
Silver needles are fine, but where on earth did she hide these darts? As Aruo watched the darts flash before her eyes in shock, this was the only question in her mind.
The next moment, the person who overestimated his own abilities was pulled away, and the dart was bounced off. The person who was protecting her changed his hug to a palm, pushed her waist, and sent her behind him.
Before Aruo could react, she had already landed not far behind him and took two steps back to steady herself. Su Zirui glanced back at her and said, "Stay over there and don't run around."
"Oh..." Aruo replied obediently. Seeing him and Yanhong fighting, she finally had time to look around. She was standing among a few scattered boxes, surrounded by familiar faces fighting. Beili and Qiqi, Xiaoman was saved by him, and what about Lin Ziyan from the Dali Temple? When did he come to Sizhou? Wait, who was fighting him...
"Fang Shouren?"
What's going on? That fake Fang Shouren actually knows martial arts? What has she gotten herself into again?
On the other side, Yanhong had just inhaled some drugs and felt a little dizzy. After a brief fight, she took advantage of the confrontation to regulate her breathing.
"You're not surprised."
Her sinister gaze fell on the man across from her. This man had once ordered her body to be taken away, nearly ruining her plan. Now, looking at her resurrected from the dead, his cold eyes showed no trace of surprise or fear.
"After all these years solving cases, it's not uncommon for murderers to come back from the dead." Ever since Zhu Jiazhen suddenly brought people to the cemetery to bury her, Su Zirui had found it a bit strange. Why would the Zhao family's young master, having a new lover, go to the trouble of sending Zhu Jiazhen to retrieve a body? That's why he sent people to dig up the grave. He hadn't expected there to be such a thing. "What I'm more curious about is, you have no grudge against Zui Haitang and that Sun Erma, so why did you kill them?"
This was where he'd been unable to find evidence. Zui Haitang might be arrogant, but she had excellent skills and was well-liked in the Wanxing Troupe, given their limited female roles. Sun Erma, on the other hand, was a handyman in the troupe, lazy and greedy, often causing minor grievances but never committing any major offenses. If it weren't for Zhu Jiazhen's unusual behavior, it would have taken quite a while.
"They know too much." Yanhong tilted her head and said, it is not a good thing to be too smart.
Zui Haitang accidentally saw the secret order her master had given her and knew her target was Qi Ruoyu, so she tricked Sun Erma into leading her to the back door. At the time, she was practicing on stage, so no one suspected her at all. As for Sun Erma's death, it was half caused by that female detective. If she hadn't uncovered something, Sun Erma wouldn't have died.
"Why would the corpse be thrown at people?" Su Zirui thought about it and felt that Aruo was indeed worthy of sympathy.
Yanhong did not answer this question. She was not here to surrender. She pointed her sword at Aruo who was behind Su Zirui and said, "Get out of the way. She is the one my master wants."
"I'd like to see who has the ability... to take my people away." Su Zirui's eyes darkened, and the corners of his mouth rose slightly, revealing a hint of murderous intent.
She narrowed her bright red eyes, kicked out her front legs, and attacked the person in front of her.
Aruo was not far from them and listened to their conversation thoroughly, basically connecting it to what happened before, "So, it is indeed because of me that Zui Haitang..."
Thinking of the woman who always held her chin high and looked at people with the whites of her eyes, but was always angered by their words, Aruo felt a dull pain in his heart. Even though he knew that he was not the murderer, he still couldn't suppress the emotion of guilt.
"Aruo——" Li Xiaoman suddenly screamed.
A dark shadow approached. Aruo raised her eyes, her dark pupils calm. She leaned back slightly, using the momentum to spin and kick. The shadow flew away, hitting one of the boxes hard. The box flipped open, and the silver scattered all over the floor. Aruo was stunned. How could these boxes be so similar to the ones she had seen in the Fang family's secret room? What was going on?
A cold light flashed, and a broadsword came from the front, swept across her shoulder, and stabbed into the person attacking her from behind. The force was so great that the attacker flew and hit another box. This time, all kinds of precious treasures and jades were scattered on the ground, all of which Aruo had seen in the Fang family.
"Su Zirui!" Lin Ziyan glanced over and angrily shouted, "Are you protecting the silver or the people?"
Lin Ziyan's attitude made Aruo look sideways. He seemed to care a lot about these boxes, or the silver inside them.
Why? Aren't these the Fang family's property? Aruo had a vague feeling that there was more to this than just a murder case. His left foot was still numb and unable to move. Surrounded by boxes, Aruo looked at the figure standing steadily in front of him with a bit of confusion.
There was a hissing sound, and Aruo turned his head unconsciously. A black and yellow strip-shaped object raised its head from the lid of the box. As if it noticed Aruo's gaze, it suddenly opened its mouth wide, revealing the sharp stingers on its fangs and its long tongue.
Her eyes widened instantly, pupils constricting, a scream choking in her throat. As fear reached its peak, every part of her body felt numb. The world was silent, and all she could see was the sharp edge coming towards her. In that instant, Aruo's mind strangely resurfaced with images she had hidden far away. Those people and things she had dreamed of, those efforts and achievements she had made...
At the critical moment, a silver light pierced the silence around her, instantly wrapping around her waist. The next moment, she was pulled backward. At the same time, the long snake that had brought her so much fear was nailed to the box by the silver needle.
The world shook in the blink of an eye, and my vision slowly recovered from the darkness, gazing into a dark sea filled with murderous intent. Suddenly, my sight was sealed once again.
"Su...Su Feng?" Aruo called out blankly. His breath was beside her, his warm palms covered her eyes, and the strong smell of blood made her forehead numb.
"Don't look..." The cold voice was very low, slightly hoarse, as if trying hard to endure it, and it rang in her ears, "Close your eyes and wait obediently."
It was a familiar voice, but there was a strange chill that came over her. Aruo closed her eyes irresistibly, and her eyelashes brushed across his warm palm.
"Good girl."
The clanging of swords echoed in his ears. In Aruo's memory, he had only heard it from his first master. That was...
"Sir!" Beili looked in surprise as he saw his lord abandon his sword and grasp a silver metal whip. He wanted to say something, but was met with a cold, stern look from his lord. Beili swallowed and looked back in disbelief at the girl standing nearby with her eyes closed.
Before Beili could react, Li Xiaoman understood and rushed to Aruo with his machete.
All she could hear were screams that stopped abruptly. Aruo was so nervous that she grabbed her skirt tightly and didn't dare to open her eyes.
She grew up in a peaceful and prosperous era. Even after wandering here for a few years, she only came into contact with ordinary people. The bloodiest thing she saw was seeing the evil leader of a stronghold being beheaded in public at the Meridian Gate.
I consciously told her not to look at it. That was not a scene she could watch. If she did, she would have to pay a heavy price.
"Su Zirui! Stop, those are witnesses!" Lin Ziyan shouted angrily.
"It's in the way." He said indifferently without even taking a breath.
Not curious, not curious, she wasn't curious... Aruo muttered to herself, her eyes tightly shut. She didn't know how long it had been before his presence approached again, carrying that bloody scent. Then, her head was stroked.
"So good."
As if a button had been pressed, Aruo suddenly opened his eyes. The face he saw was still cool and handsome, but his usually cold black eyes were filled with murderous intent, with a strange and bewitching beauty. "Su, Su is crazy?"
"Yeah." Su Zirui actually liked this name very much. Even the curve of his lips was more genuine than usual. The ending tone was slightly raised, with a kind of innocent and coquettish emphasis. He looked at her with satisfaction. Her eyes were clear, without a trace of fear. "Are you scared?"
"Afraid... Haven't you noticed that I dare not look at anything else except your face?" Regardless of the person's appearance, this face can still be considered pleasing to the eye. Aruo said honestly.
"What is this?" As if he didn't want her to pay too much attention to her surroundings, Su Zirui raised his hand and touched her face, with some white powder on his fingertips.
"Realgar powder," Aruo pursed his lips and said aggrievedly, "Xiao Man clearly said that if you apply it, no snakes will come here."
There was a hint of accusation in her tone, as if snakes were scarier to her than those scattered people.
With a raised eyebrow, Su Zirui slightly suppressed his murderous intent and hugged the man around the waist, "If you're afraid, close your eyes."
Aruo was suddenly picked up, and her already confused mind became even more confused, and she almost closed her eyes obediently.
Lin Ziyan watched coldly as the man picked up the person and walked away, sarcastically saying, "Sir Su, is letting go and not caring about it the way you do in the Ministry of Justice?"
He tilted his head to glance at him, and with his usual sarcasm, "Lord Lin, since the Emperor has ordered the Dali Temple to recover the official silver, it is not convenient for us to interfere. Please do as you please."
Lin Ziyan glanced at the mess on the ground, secretly biting the back of his teeth, and snorted, "Since Lord Su has been investigating for days without any results, then... if the Ministry of Justice can't recover the case, the Dali Temple will do its utmost to recover it. If the Ministry of Justice can't solve the case, the Dali Temple won't mind solving it along the way."
Su Zirui blinked lightly, a cold irony flickering across his eyes as he winked at Beili. Beili understood and followed with Qi Qi and the others, taking the bewildered Li Xiaoman with him.
Aruo grabbed Su Zirui's collar, snorted uncomfortably, and asked softly, "Tsk, you're so arrogant. Lord Su, can I ask if the Dali Temple can give you the reward money that your Ministry of Justice won't give you?"
She now understood that even though she had no credit for this case, she had worked hard.
Beili was the closest, and he lowered his head to suppress his laughter. The chill that he had been unable to get rid of just now seemed to be dispelled.
"I'll ask for you when I have time."
His voice was as steady as usual, and the fabric her hands touched was still dry, without that slippery wet feeling, but still had a strong smell of blood.
Su Zirui walked steadily, but Aruo was still a little dazed. Many scattered fragments of his thoughts spontaneously turned in his mind. "Official silver" refers to those boxes? But those were clearly the Fang family's belongings. Come to think of it... Qin Zhi had escorted similar boxes that day.
What was the connection? Given Qin Zhi's personality, it didn't seem right for him to suddenly leave when she was busy. Su Zirui and Qin Zhi... was there some connection between them that she didn't know about?
After lowering his head and being silent for a while, Aruo suddenly looked up at him and blurted out, "Master Su, just now... were you protecting the silver or the people?"
Pausing, Su Zirui looked down at the girl in his arms. His cold eyes captured her face, and the corners of his lips curled slightly, "What do you think?"
Ha...that's hard to say.
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