Chapter 345 Shen Chu and Pei Yuan meet in the wooden house in the mountains
A commotion arose in the crowd, and the voices of discussion gradually grew louder.
"The prefectural government office? Could it be referring to the newly arrived imperial envoy, Lord Shen?"
"We've been investigating this case for so long without finding a single clue, but as soon as Lord Shen arrived in Yangzhou, he found Bai Lianhua's remains."
Now, not only has Tianxiang Tower been shut down, but we've also learned that the children have all been sold off.
"In that case, it must be Lord Shen."
White Lotus's father looked at Master Jueming with anticipation.
"Master, is the benefactor you mentioned Lord Shen? Can he help me find my daughter?"
Master Jueming put his hands together and bowed slightly.
“Monks do not concern themselves with worldly affairs, nor do they lie. This old monk has no knowledge of any imperial envoy or any superior.”
Judging from the meaning of the divination slip, the benefactor who can help you will arrive in Yangzhou soon.
And things changed immediately after he arrived.
Upon hearing this, everyone became even more certain.
"It must be Lord Shen without a doubt."
The Bai couple exchanged a glance and excitedly grasped each other's hands.
Someone in the crowd shouted.
"When I came over just now, I saw Lord Shen go to the back mountain."
Upon hearing this, the Bai couple immediately got up from the ground.
"Let's go and beg Lord Shen to solve the case as soon as possible."
"Yes, the sooner the case is solved, the sooner the child can be found."
The missing girl's family members were all very excited and rushed to the back of the mountain.
Shen Chu retreated to a corner and watched Master Jueming gently chant sutras with his eyes closed, his face soft as he held the prayer beads. She couldn't help but frown slightly.
A seemingly plausible statement shifted all the pressure onto "Master Shen".
If "Master Shen" cannot find the missing girls, then it means that "Master Shen" has not been doing his job properly.
At that time, not only will His Majesty blame him, but the anger of these parents who have lost their children will be enough to tear "Lord Shen" apart.
Did Master Jueming really see it from the divination slip, or was he intentionally guiding him?
She looked at Master Jueming with a thoughtful expression.
Hongxiu came running up breathlessly and whispered, "Miss, the Third Young Master and the Sixth Prince have both gone to the back mountain."
Shen Chu's heart trembled.
With so many people rushing towards the back mountain, wouldn't things get chaotic if they encountered "Chen Chu" and Pei Yuan again?
She hurriedly walked towards the back of the mountain.
Qingshan Temple is nestled at the foot of Daqingshan Mountain, hence its name.
The terrain of Daqingshan is not high, and the mountain roads are neatly and cleanly constructed, with scenic features built along both sides of the mountain roads according to the terrain.
Whether it's planting bamboo groves, planting peach trees, or having babbling brooks, the scenery is pleasant, and tourists who come to offer incense usually take a stroll around the back mountain.
But today all the guests are gathered inside the temple to pray and offer incense, and there are almost no people on the back mountain.
Chen Chu and Hong Xiu followed behind Bai Lianhua's parents and others, slowly walking up the mountain.
As they passed through the bamboo forest, Chen Chu paused slightly and tugged at Hong Xiu's sleeve.
The two slipped into the bamboo forest and found scattered feathered arrows on the ground.
There were obvious signs of a struggle at the scene.
Shen Chu's expression turned solemn.
Is it the third senior brother, or Pei Yuan?
Who encountered the assassin?
Walking along the bamboo forest, you can clearly see footprints leading to the right.
Beyond that is the mountain road, which leads to the other side of Daqingshan Mountain.
Shen Chu picked up a feathered arrow from the edge of the bamboo grove, his gaze suddenly narrowing.
Hongxiu peeked out and asked, "Is there something wrong with this arrow?"
Shen Chu tapped a nearby arrow with his foot, his tone somber.
“The arrow in my hand is not poisoned, but the one on the ground is poisoned, which means that at least two groups of assassins have entered here.”
"Two groups?"
Shen Chu nodded.
"That's right, if I'm not mistaken, the poisoned arrow was probably meant to harm Pei Yuan."
The arrow that struck Pei Yuan that day was coated with the same poison.
"And the other arrow, which wasn't poisoned, might have been meant to kill me."
"What?" Hongxiu's expression changed slightly. "Who wants to kill you? Does that mean the Third Young Master is also in danger?"
Shen Chu nodded and made a decisive decision.
"Go out immediately and find the senior brother, and tell him to find Yu Feng and bring the Imperial Guards over."
Hongxiu hesitated for a moment, "But you're alone?"
"Don't worry, I will leave marks along the way and won't act impulsively."
"Alright, I'll be right back."
Hongxiu left, and Chenchu followed the traces of the fight down the road, becoming more and more certain of her guess as she went.
There really were two groups of people.
The traces of the fight continued all the way to the foot of the back of Daqingshan Mountain, where they separated at the valley.
Go left one way, and right the other.
It seems the two have separated.
At this moment, the sky was dark, the shadows of the trees in the valley were undulating, and everything was shrouded in the vast darkness of night.
After careful examination, Shen Chu noticed traces of blood on the ground at the intersection on the right.
The bloodstains were still wet, indicating that the person had not gone far.
Her expression darkened slightly, and without hesitation, she followed the trail of blood.
Pushing aside the vines, I suddenly saw a wooden house not far ahead.
She tiptoed closer.
As soon as she approached the cabin, a large hand reached out from the shadows and pulled her inside.
Her veil was ripped to the ground, and a cold sword was held against her neck.
"Don't shout, or I'll kill you."
The man's voice was as cold as a knife.
Shen Chu breathed a sigh of relief; it was Pei Yuan's voice.
She quietly turned her head to look.
The bright, soft moonlight shone on Pei Yuan's handsome face, yet it appeared somewhat desolate.
He gripped the longsword expressionlessly, his narrow, almond-shaped eyes gleaming with a chilling coldness.
But there is no focus.
It was already night, and he couldn't see anything, so he hurriedly hid in the cabin, right?
Shen Chu couldn't express her feelings for a moment, not knowing whether she should feel sad or relieved that he couldn't see her.
He cleared his throat, deliberately feigning panic and surprise.
"Why is young master here as well?"
Pei Yuan frowned slightly upon hearing the voice.
It was completely dark, and he couldn't see anything at all.
But he recognized the voice instantly; it was the woman who had saved him that day.
"It's you? What are you doing here?"
Shen Chu nodded, then, remembering that Pei Yuan couldn't see, softly hummed in agreement.
"I...I came up the mountain with those people to find Lord Shen, but I accidentally got separated from them and ended up here."
"By the way, young master, have you seen Lord Shen? Many people have come up the mountain looking for him."
She asked Pei Yuan, feigning concern.
Pei Yuan's expression softened slightly when he heard that they had come to see Chen Chu.
"He wasn't injured and left in another direction, so he should be fine."
Chen Chu felt relieved.
It's good that my third senior brother wasn't injured.
"I saw bloodstains on my way here, young master, are you injured?"
Pei Yuan sheathed his longsword and sat down on the ground.
"It's nothing, just an old wound reopened, it's nothing serious."
Through the bright moonlight streaming in through the window, Chen Chu saw that Pei Yuan's clothes were soaked through.
Liar, you've lost so much blood and you still say it's nothing.
The eldest brother said that the wound on his chest was an old one that had reopened several times, and it had reopened again after only two days.
How can you be so careless about your body?
She pursed her lips, walked over to Pei Yuan, sat down, and reached straight for Pei Yuan's chest.
"What are you doing?" Even though he couldn't see her, Pei Yuan still grabbed her hand.
But because he was so close, he smelled a familiar scent of wisteria.
Hmm, why does this smell so much like Ah Chu's?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com