Jiang Chuting returned to the inn, took out the roster and looked it over carefully, and found that Liu Guang's name was also on it.
At the time, they certainly didn't expect anyone to escape, so they didn't count the number of bodies. They opened the medicine bottle again; although more than twenty years had passed, the pills inside were still intact.
Jiang Chuting poured a pill into her hand; this should be the elixir that Qin Ye refined back then, the one that caused death.
The risk of gathering everyone together for testing was quite high, so after a few years when the drug began to show some effectiveness, they changed their approach, focusing on brothels and spreading the drug far and wide.
If someone is affected by this, either the adult or the child will die if they are unlucky. No one would choose to report such a bizarre thing to the authorities. Even if they did, they would just think that you are possessed by evil spirits and would not pay any attention to it.
Those who are lucky enough to get pregnant are definitely caught and taken back by those who are keeping a close eye on them. Jingjing, and those who slip through the net like Shaojun, even if they get pregnant and give birth, will never spread the news. They just hide away and live their lives in a daze.
For over twenty years, they recklessly and arrogantly disrupted the order of the world.
Jiang Chuting closed her eyes and rubbed her brow with her fingers.
His plan was to gather enough evidence and then explain everything to Pei Jing, so that he could directly order the court to conduct a thorough investigation. This would at least be enough to counterbalance the forces of several sides, and the matter could be resolved more quickly.
However, something is still missing.
The waiter knocked on the door from outside: "Young master, your meal is here."
Jiang Chuting got up and opened the door, saying, "I didn't order any food." He glanced at the dishes on the tray, all of which were his favorites.
Lin Zhi peeked out from the opposite room: "I had someone deliver it. I was worried you were hungry since you hadn't come out for so long."
Jiang Chuting glanced at him and said to the waiter, "I don't need it."
Lin Zhi was frustrated, and the waiter was in a dilemma: "But if we send it back, the boss will scold the kitchen staff..."
Jiang Chuting said, "Put it on my tab. Please go and see if there are any beggars outside and give them some to eat."
The waiter carried the food away as instructed. Just as Jiang Chuting was about to close the door, Lin Zhi rushed over and stuck his foot in the door to prevent him from closing it.
"Chu Ting, please talk to me, okay?" Lin Zhi looked at him with teary eyes and pleaded, "Just say a few words, just a few words, okay? I really miss you so much."
"..."
"If you don't want to talk about it, then please listen to me, okay?" Lin Zhi said in a hoarse voice, "I know what happened between you and my father back then. I listened to what my family instilled in me, and together with the world, I misunderstood you, hurt you, and treated you so badly... I'm really sorry, Chu Ting."
During this meeting, Lin Zhi seemed to be constantly repenting and apologizing.
Jiang Chuting remained calm throughout, and after listening to him finish, she finally spoke: "Do you want to hear what I have to say?"
Lin Zhi stared at him without blinking, but for some reason, she didn't dare to nod.
Jiang Chuting still said, "Haven't I told you several times that if you dare to betray our relationship, then it's completely over between us?"
Lin Zhi pursed her lips and answered softly, "Yes..."
Did I beg you not to get married?
Lin Zhi's nose stung, her heart ached: "...Yes." She immediately added urgently, "But I'm not married, I've never loved her, I was just saying it in anger, I just, I just..."
Jiang Chuting shook her head and said, "Does any of this matter? I gave up on you the day I left. Your apology only makes you feel better; it means nothing to me, and I don't need it. So please stop wasting your breath and stop bothering me. I really..." Jiang Chuting took a deep breath before saying, "I really need some peace and quiet."
Although unwilling to believe it, Lin Zhi realized that this person's indifference could not be faked; he seemed to be truly disappointed in her and had long since lost all feelings for her.
Lin Zhi was heartbroken, her eyes red and swollen, and she tried her best to suppress her sobs: "Chu Ting, don't be angry. If you don't like my apology, I promise I won't say it again."
Jiang Chuting's temple twitched, and he chuckled in exasperation, "Is that the key point?"
Lin Zhi pouted and said, "I don't care. I finally found you, and I will never leave your side."
Lin Zhi tried to move forward, but Jiang Chuting instinctively stepped back. Lin Zhi then sat down on the ground with a thud, tightly hugging his legs. He rubbed his tear-streaked face against his arms and stated his will firmly: "You can only leave if I die." Staying by his side and clinging on was the only hope; if he left, he would have nothing left.
Jiang Chuting fell silent for a moment. Xing'er, in a spoiled and pleading manner, also clung to his leg in the same way.
He held her too tightly, and Jiang Chuting couldn't break free for a moment. She let out a soft breath and said in a slow voice with a hint of coldness, "Before I left, I asked you, 'When will you finally grow up?' It seems that you are still the same as before, and haven't changed at all."
Lin Zhi immediately replied, "Then you can keep me here and watch me grow up. I promise I won't let you down."
Jiang Chuting said expressionlessly, "Let go of my hand."
Lin Zhi finally managed to touch him, but knowing she couldn't go too far, she reluctantly let go.
Before Jiang Chuting could send him away again, he tentatively asked, "Chuting, is your... trip to the Madman's Tower related to that investigation we did together back then? Actually, I can help you."
Before Jiang Chuting could speak, Lin Zhi gave a self-deprecating laugh: "After all, it's related to our family."
Jiang Chuting's pupils narrowed slightly, and she blurted out, "What do you know?"
Lin Zhi: "Knowing that our family used people as test subjects for drugs, which has caused many deaths."
It seemed he still didn't know what the drug trial was for, and Jiang Chuting remained silent.
“I questioned my mother, and she said she knew nothing. This must have been arranged by my grandmother back then.” Lin Zhiyou said, “I know that the masterminds behind this are Feihua Pavilion, Miyue Valley, and Changliu Manor, which has been involved in recent years. As long as we find a way to deal with those leaders, the rest won’t be a threat. I just found out where Qin Ye is. Why don’t we go together?”
Jiang Chuting stared at him for a moment, then asked, "Lin Zhi, are you sure your mother really doesn't know anything?"
"I..." Lin Zhi was speechless for a moment, and his eyes darted away.
He hadn't spoken much to his mother in two years and hated everything she did, but no matter what, she was the one who gave birth to him, how could he bear to kill her?
"And who told you I only needed to kill a few leaders?" And did he really think these people were so easy to kill? Jiang Chuting's gaze was firm, and his tone was resolute as he said, "I will uproot these people and make every single one of them pay the price they deserve."
Lin Zhi's face turned pale, and she staggered back a step.
Jiang Chuting asked, "Where is Qin Ye?"
Lin Zhi stared blankly for a while before saying, "In a valley outside Cenzhou City."
After pondering for a moment, Jiang Chuting told him to leave, packed his things, opened the window, and jumped out.
The trip to Liyun City alone had already delayed him for many days. If he didn't return to Jincheng soon, Pei Jing's pent-up anger would definitely explode, and he probably wouldn't even let him leave the house.
However, he still chose to go to Cenzhou first.
He wasn't afraid of being locked up for another month or two after they went back. More than a year had passed, and the time Yuanxi had mentioned was almost here. If he succeeded, he would soon be able to leave with Xing'er.
However, in order to appease Pei Jing, he still sent a letter to Changning Pavilion, explaining his whereabouts and the reasons for his unease, and then headed south.
Along the way, no matter how much Jiang Chuting shook it, the little tail behind her always managed to catch up.
It's not surprising that Lin Zhi knew he was going to Cenzhou. But the fact that he could always find out exactly where he was staying suggests there must be something fishy going on.
Jiang Chuting opened the door, and Lin Zhi, who was sitting at the door, immediately jumped up.
Jiang Chuting cut to the chase: "What did you do to me?"
Lin Zhi nervously tugged at the hem of her clothes: "I told you, don't be angry with me."
Jiang Chuting just looked at him coldly. Lin Zhi lowered his head and said in a low voice, "It was the first day I met you. I added something to the bathwater that the waiter brought you." His voice grew softer and softer. "You soaked in the bath for quite a long time that day, so your scent will last a long time. So even if you abandoned me, I will still find a way to find you."
Jiang Chuting: "..." He hadn't noticed anything wrong with the water that day.
And no wonder Lin Zhi was able to catch up with him that time, even with his lightness skill.
"I'm so afraid of losing you again, so I had to come up with this idea," Lin Zhi said in a hoarse voice. "Just let me follow you, okay? I'll do whatever you say."
Jiang Chuting said, "I don't want to see you."
Lin Zhi seemed not to hear him, rubbed her eyes until they were red, and looked at him, saying, "I will help you, Chu Ting. If you want to uproot them, I will do everything I can to help you. I will do whatever you want me to do. But my mother... can you let me find a way to spare her life? I hate her too, but I don't want her to die."
Jiang Chuting remained silent for a moment, then with a flick of her hand, shut the door out to the person who was about to say something more.
Before even reaching Cenzhou, Jiang Chuting never expected that she would encounter someone she hadn't seen in a long time while passing through a remote town.
Xie Zhen coldly shook off the overly enthusiastic matchmaker and walked towards her home, feeling a gaze upon her.
He paused, turned around, and saw Jiang Chuting, wearing a mask and standing tall, a few steps away.
Jiang Chuting smiled and nodded at him.
Xie Zhen invited him to her home, poured him a glass of water, and after he sat down, she looked at his face after he took off his mask and said frankly, "So this is what you look like. You look much better than when you're disguised."
Jiang Chuting smiled, and Xie Zhen, who spoke quickly, said, "So you are the Jiang Chuting who caused such a stir back then. But if you are Jiang Chuting, then I will definitely have to question those rumors."
Why?
"Based on my intuition about you."
Jiang Chuting smiled again, turned her eyes away, and looked towards the door.
Lin Zhi was playing and chasing with Xie Li and another boy who was just over a year old.
Xie Zhen left Changliu Village with their help, and only a few days passed between then and now he's pregnant with Xing'er. Xie Zhen lives alone, shows no signs of being married, and now has a child about the same age as Xing'er. This can only mean…
Jiang Chuting's conjecture after seeing the child had become clear.
Xie Zhen followed his gaze and saw Lin Zhi. She suddenly asked, "I asked him to come in and sit down just now, but he glanced at you and didn't dare to move. Is something wrong between you two?"
Jiang Chuting was slightly surprised: "You knew?"
"What don't you know? Eyes don't lie. Looking at how you two were back then, I thought you'd never argue in your lives."
Jiang Chuting almost laughed when she heard this, but didn't: "We didn't just argue."
Seeing this, Xie Zhen didn't say anything more.
A moment of silence fell between them. Lin Zhi and the children had run a little further away. Jiang Chuting looked at Xie Zhen and finally spoke: "Excuse me for asking... Xie Zhen, are these two children your children?"
Xie Zhen originally intended to add some tea for him, but before she knew it, her hand trembled violently, and the teapot fell to the ground, tilting and breaking on the table.
The water had spilled all over the table, but no one bothered to wipe it up.
Xie Zhen stared at him in disbelief: "You, you, how could you..."
As expected. Xie Zhen disliked Qiao Xun, but she couldn't abort the child, so she had to keep it, which led to her treating the child badly.
He was also one of the victims. Jiang Chuting did not hide anything and told him everything she knew, including what she had seen and heard at the Madhouse some time ago.
This was too shocking. Xie Zhen was first shocked, then disgusted and hateful. He clenched his fists, his breath trembling: "My God... how could such rampant and despicable things exist in this world!"
Xie Zhen gritted his teeth and paused for a moment before saying, "At first, I only thought I had accidentally ingested some kind of elixir, and that's why I became like this. I never imagined that those sick male prostitutes were also their doing. Otherwise, I would have told you the truth long ago." The thought that Qiao Xun was also involved in this matter made his expression even more disgusted: "These people deserve to be torn to pieces and sent to the eighteenth level of hell!"
Jiang Chuting said, "Good and evil will be rewarded accordingly; such a day will come."
After exchanging a few more words with him, Jiang Chuting bid him farewell without lingering any longer.
Take care.
"The same to you."
Seeing him leave, Lin Zhi hurriedly separated from the children and ran after him.
Xie Li ran back to Xie Zhen's side with her younger brother. Xie Zhen didn't look at them until Jiang Chuting and the others had disappeared for a while before she noticed that the two children's arms were slightly bulging.
Xie Zhen was overjoyed and took it out to show him: "Brother Lin gave it to my brother and me to play with pebbles!"
Xie Zhen looked closely and was shocked to see that there were three gold ingots.
Xie Li has never seen gold before, so he must really think this is just a golden stone.
"Father, I have one too, here you go." The younger one also took out what he was holding and presented it to Xie Zhen like a treasure.
Xie Zhen frowned. Even if it was a gift for the child, this was far too expensive. How could he possibly accept it?
Xie Zhen wanted to chase after them, but just then, the old lady next door invited Xie Li and the other two to eat some freshly steamed rice cakes. The two children went off happily, and Xie Zhen told the old lady, "Please look after the children, I'll be right back."
The aunt, who always doted on them, smiled and said, "Don't worry, leave the children to me."
Xie Zhen immediately chased after the direction Jiang Chuting and the others had left in.
But it was too late. After chasing for a long time, there was no sign of him. Xie Zhen, panting, had no choice but to give up and turn back.
As a result, upon turning around, he was struck dumb.
Qiao Xun's eyes lit up, and she strode towards him: "It really is you, Zhen!"
Xie Zhen's face was as pale as a ghost. He tried to run away, but was surrounded by Qiao Xun's men.
Qiao Xun stepped forward and hugged him tightly, her eyes bloodshot, but her voice was filled with joy and sweetness: "I've searched for you all these years, exhausted, but I couldn't find you no matter what. Today I was just passing by, but I saw you at a glance. Ah Zhen, in the end, it's still our fate that's not over. Why did you run away again?"
Xie Zhen closed his eyes and broke down, saying, "Kill me, kill me..."
"Don't talk nonsense, how could I bear to?" Qiao Xun kissed his hair, leaned close to his ear, and said in a voice so gentle it sent chills down his spine: "You ran away before. This time, I'm going to make you give me a few children, I want to leave behind our bloodline."
Xie Zhen thought of something and stopped resisting. Every word seemed to be squeezed out from between her teeth: "Qiao Xun, I'm telling you, I will make sure you suffer a terrible death!"
Qiao Xun didn't take it to heart, laughed twice, picked him up by the waist, put him on a horse, and led the group away on horseback.
Before nightfall, Jiang Chuting led his horse into the city. Lin Zhi followed closely behind, caught a glimpse of the long sword in his hand, and asked the question he had wanted to ask for a long time: "Chuting, where is your sword tassel?"
Jiang Chuting looked around, preparing to find a place to stay.
Lin Zhi said with great sadness, "The sword tassel you gave me was accidentally lost during my search for you."
Jiang Chuting didn't listen to him at all. Lin Zhizhui, behind him, continued on his own, "Chuting, did you go to Jincheng about a year and a half ago? I think I saw you there, but something happened afterward, I..."
Jiang Chuting found an inn and handed the horse's reins to the waiter who came to greet him.
"Chu Ting, how about I buy two more sword tassels, one for each of us, okay?"
Jiang Chuting didn't even glance at him, and strode inside.
Lin Zhiye handed the horse over to the waiter, staring blankly at his distant and indifferent back, a bitter feeling spreading through his desolate heart.
Back in Anyang, the two of them had also acted similarly, one in front and one behind. Chu Ting called his name tenderly and earnestly, chasing after him and trying to talk to him, but he ignored her completely. When Chu Ting tried to take his hand, he coldly shook her off.
Now, the tables have turned completely. Truly, what goes around comes around.
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