Chapter 19
"You...you don't know that you shouldn't hit someone in the face?!"
Yi Feng was stunned by the blow; half of his face burned with pain, and his nose stung so much that tears welled up in his eyes.
He didn't dodge, not because he couldn't, but because he never expected Yao Liuliu to actually make a move.
"I'm going to hit you! I'll smash your face!" Yao Liuliu didn't hold back and grabbed his collar, trying to drag him in through the window.
"...I won't fight you, don't push your luck. Do you think I can't beat you?" Yi Feng braced himself against the window frame, weighing his strength, but he was actually pulled in. He crawled in on all fours in a disheveled manner.
"I'm living a perfectly good life, and you just have to come and mess with me. Anyway, I'm not living a good life anymore, so what if I beat you to death!"
Shen Yu was stunned. A person who had an emotional outburst was completely different from usual.
She quickly got up and pulled the two apart.
Actually, she was somewhat relieved that even though Yao Liuliu had lost her composure, Yifeng hadn't actually made a move and had only been verbally communicating.
"Let's talk this out, don't tear down my window frames." Shen Yu held one in each hand and smiled ingratiatingly at both sides.
"What do I have to say to him!" Yao Liuliu was still angry, and turned her head away, too lazy to look at him.
"You're a strange person, you don't distinguish right from wrong!"
"Stop pretending! Tell me, did you kill those people? Today, Mo Yuntang came to cause trouble, weren't you the culprit?"
"Let me make this clear: I only killed one person; I have no idea about the others."
Shen Yu and Yao Liuliu both looked at him, almost in unison:
Which one?
Yi Feng shook off Chen Yu, looked down and patted his rumpled clothes: "Someone came to the Moon Shadow Sect, wanting to buy Wu Mingce of the Qinglan Society's life, so naturally I'll take the money and do the job."
"The others...not you?" Yao Liuliu questioned bluntly, "Then why are all the weapon wounds the same?"
Yi Feng smiled slyly: "I thought that weapon was pretty good, so I got one just like it. As for what happened next, guess why?"
Although they hadn't seen each other for a long time, Yao Liuliu knew that Yifeng wouldn't deny what he had done. The reputation of the Moon Shadow Sect was already like that, so there was no need for him to lie.
Does that mean someone is imitating the crime and taking advantage of the confusion?
"So you know who killed Xuanche?" This was the key point Shen Yu grasped.
"Of course, that guy's skills are mediocre. He didn't even notice me sitting on the roof for so long." Yi Feng looked down on it, not taking it seriously at all.
"Who is it? Did you see clearly?"
Why should I tell you?
"I...!" Yao Liuliu subconsciously raised her hand to strike, but at this moment her rationality returned, and hitting him seemed to be an unwise move.
Yi Feng tilted his head slightly, avoiding her angry gaze, and smiled even more irritatingly: "Yao Liuliu, it's been years, and your temper has gotten worse? You don't want to acknowledge me, but you want to hit me?"
"...So what?" Yao Liuliu's voice trailed off, and she no longer dared to meet his gaze.
"Then how can you tell me who killed Xuanche?" Shen Yu asked again.
Yi Feng's gaze slid from Yao Liuliu to Shen Yu: "You fight me. If I win, I'll tell you. If I lose, you'll give me some pointers."
"Till what time?"
"Are you really that confident you can win?"
"The conditions must be clearly stated first."
"Good! That's great!" Yi Feng was a straightforward person, and immediately said, "Practice for three days straight, and I'll tell you the result no matter what."
Seeing that the two had reached an agreement in a short time, Yao Liuliu quickly stopped them: "No! Her injury hasn't healed yet."
"It'll be fine tomorrow," Shen Yu said casually.
"You're kidding me."
"almost."
“Okay, I’ll come find you tomorrow at Shenshi (3-5 PM).” Ignoring Yao Liuliu’s reminder, Yifeng set the time on his own, then pushed open the door and went out, disappearing from the rooftop.
Shen Yu looked in the direction he left and stretched: "He is indeed a decisive person."
"...Why are you getting so close to the people of the Moon Shadow Sect? That's not good."
"Aren't you one too?"
Yao Liuliu was so angry she jumped up and down: "I've been out of the picture for so long, don't associate me with them!"
Shen Yu did not have any prejudice against the existence of assassin organizations.
She truly didn't understand that kind of worldly wisdom—
Both are acts of murder, but those who take money are considered despicable, while those who don't are seen as acting out of a sense of vengeance.
Murder is murder. No matter who it is for or what the reason, the essence is the same.
Whether one does good or evil is determined by the heart, not the hand. Once you've taken up the knife, you must accept the consequences.
"You're afraid others will find fault with you, and you're eager to sever ties with the Moon Shadow Sect, but the path you've taken isn't shameful."
Shen Yu felt hungry and went into the kitchen, asking through the curtain, "Where is everyone else? Where did Qiu Chiyan go?"
Yao Liuliu snapped out of her daze from her words: "...He...he seems to have gone out with Zhao Ze, but he didn't say what they were going to do. Gong Erdahe is in the front hall, doing business as usual today."
"That's good. We can't be guilty."
Shen Yu treated herself to an extra meal while listening to Gong Er's tearful complaints, saying that she probably wouldn't have any peace and quiet days left.
She offered a few hasty words of comfort, though she herself felt the same way.
Xu Dahe seemed frightened by what had happened today and spoke very little.
The usually amiable shopkeeper suddenly knocked down such a burly man with a single blow, and the man even used such a vicious method.
This was a huge shock to his world.
Shen Yu saw this but did not offer any words of comfort.
Qiu Chiyan and Zhao Zecai returned at dinner time. As always, whenever he went out, he had to slowly shuffle back.
"I wonder when you'll get better." Shen Yu said bluntly, but still stepped forward to help him up.
"How are you?" Qiu Chiyan felt his pulse with his other hand; it was indeed much better than in the morning.
"Nothing's wrong. What did you go about?"
Zhao Ze interrupted, pouring out his grievances: "We shopkeepers are having such a miserable time. We spent half the day at the yamen searching through files, and finally found all the cases related to the Gu worm murders. My eyes are about to go blurry from looking at them all."
"What...do you need this for?"
Qiu Chiyan secretly pinched Zhao Ze, signaling him to shut up, while he casually said, "Many things are interconnected, and we have to re-examine them whenever there's a sign of trouble. That's the normal procedure in handling cases."
Zhao Ze smacked his chopsticks: "You're so high and mighty, dragging me along to do the work. If you're so capable, do it yourself."
"Is it... related to Moyuntang?" Shen Yu asked tentatively.
"Maybe. Don't worry, Moyuntang won't be able to act arrogantly anymore."
"?"
Shen Yu didn't quite understand what he was talking about, but she was indeed a little worried that those people would come looking for trouble again.
Fighting is secondary; if you're accused of murder, it's very difficult to get rid of the accusation with words.
"Let's get some rest after dinner today." Qiu Chiyan changed the subject, then suddenly frowned, "Why is there bleeding again?"
When Shen Yu looked down, she noticed a few dark red spots on the gauze on her wrist.
"Maybe it's from pulling the wind with force."
"He's here again?"
"Oh right." Shen Yu suddenly remembered the important matter and relayed everything Yi Feng had said that day.
There was a lot of information, and Zhao Ze sorted it out carefully.
Those who died from the same type of weapon include Xuan Che of Moyuntang, Wu Mingce of Qinglanhui, Qin Yi of Zhenyuetang, and Han Anlin of Guanzhong Daohui.
If what Yifeng said is true, and two people did not die from the rumored "mysterious person", then how were the remaining two cases linked together as a "serial case"?
Zhao Ze felt an inexplicable sense of panic, as if he had worked for nothing that day.
Qiu Chiyan was much calmer, but he took out some medicine from the counter and re-bandaged Shen Yu: "You still want to fight Yifeng in this state?"
"What's wrong with me? I'm still much better than you, aren't I?"
"...I'm not joking with you. Your internal energy has just recovered, and your arm is still injured. Besides, this matter has nothing to do with you, so why bother to investigate it?"
Zhao Ze suddenly cleared his throat awkwardly.
It doesn't matter what else you say, but for a head constable of the Six Doors to say something so negative and obstructive to the truth is inappropriate.
He stepped in to smooth things over: "Manager Shen meant well. If there are any clues, we can share them to prevent problems from happening in the first place. It's better than being forced to react passively like we are today."
"Discussing matters of the martial world is fine, but knowing too much inside information will only drag you into it. The Moyuntang gang alone has already caused this; imagine if two other gangs were involved..."
"Alright, alright, I can smell the food in the kitchen. Let's eat first."
Seeing that the two were about to start arguing, Shen Yu quickly interrupted their conversation.
Just as she finished speaking, the sound of pot lids clattering and the aroma of oil wafted from the kitchen.
Shen Yu stood up and half-helped, half-pushed Qiu Chiyan to sit next to her. While waiting for the food, she nudged him with her elbow and said, "I think that Yi Feng at least doesn't mean us any harm. Besides, I'm doing this for Liu Liu. If we can settle this matter this time, maybe she can really sever ties with the past."
"..." Qiu Chiyan looked up at her, a hint of helplessness in his expression.
"Let's leave it at that for now." Seeing that he didn't reply, Shen Yu tilted her head and leaned closer, whispering, "Hey, I'm injured, the injured person has the most to worry about."
"Which injured person looks like...?"
Qiu Chiyan stopped halfway through his sentence.
His words lacked credibility. He had to go out tomorrow…
Qiu Chi lowered his head to avoid her gaze and said in a low voice, "Then I'll go out and gather information, and you take good care of everyone at the inn. We'll divide the work and cooperate."
“Okay!” Shen Yu solemnly grasped his hand, as if they had reached some extraordinary cooperation. “Then you should also act according to your ability. If it doesn’t work out, then withdraw.”
She spoke with such seriousness that Qiu Chiyan chuckled for no apparent reason.
"Have a meal."
After the meal, Zhao Ze and Qiu Chiyan continued to discuss the Gu poison case in the lobby.
Suddenly, there was a gentle knock on the door.
The two looked at each other, and Zhao Ze went to open the door, only to be greeted by Zhou Siyao.
She stood alone outside the door, her shadow stretched long and thin in the lamplight, her face showing a hint of unease.
Qiu Chiyan raised his eyes, his expression indifferent.
He didn't invite her in, but instead stepped out of the door and closed it behind him, blocking Zhao Ze's probing gaze.
Night had fallen, and only a few dim lanterns swayed in the wind on the street. The two stood facing each other, the atmosphere slightly chilly.
"Miss Zhou, what brings you here today?"
"...I came to ask how Manager Shen is doing...I heard..."
"Thanks to Miss Zhou, I'm still alive."
Zhou Siyao was stunned for a moment, then her face turned pale.
Qiu Chiyan had never spoken to her so coldly before, and she knew why. She paused, then said, "It's good that you're alright, then I..."
"Has your younger brother been released?"
"...Yes, Mo Yuntang let him go this afternoon. We will be setting off back to Changfeng Manor tomorrow."
"Very well." His tone was polite and courteous, yet tinged with a hint of awkwardness. "I can understand the difficulties of being away from home, and so can Shen Yu. Therefore, I hope that after inheriting the manor, Miss Zhou will recognize which talents are worth cooperating with."
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